Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newark, DE and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,598 in Newark, DE, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Newark, DE
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Newark, DE Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Newark, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,598

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Newark, DE and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Newark, DE and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,598 in Newark, DE versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Newark, DE $2,598
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,550 in Newark, DE versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Newark, DE $3,550
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,503 in Newark, DE versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Newark, DE $4,503
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Newark, DE is roughly 9% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Newark, DE 92% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.20 $16.20

$17.89 €15.92

-9.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.3 $59.3

$66.2 €58.9

-10.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.73 $8.73

$13.69 €12.18

-36.23%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$3.06 €2.72

69.28%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$3.07 €2.73

-21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.94 €1.73

-9.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.87 €3.44

6.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 $6.10

$4.61 €4.10

32.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.30 €1.16

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.10 €1.87

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.83 €1.62

49.18%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$4.62 €4.11

-17.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 $9.82

$17.36 €15.44

-43.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.74 $8.74

$9.28 €8.25

-5.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$19.83 €17.64

-22.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.01 €2.68

52.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.03 €1.81

-34.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.65 €2.36

72.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.87 €2.55

35.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.16 €1.92

17.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.15 €1.91

19.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.47 €1.31

26.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

$0.88 €0.79

56.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 $13.71

$6.93 €6.16

97.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.34 $14.34

$7.83 €6.96

83.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.39 €1.24

25.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.63 €2.34

40.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.91 €2.59

41.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 $60.4

$25.46 €22.64

137.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.00 €2.66

63.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.44 €1.28

-22.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.12 $23.12

$33.20 €29.53

-30.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.86 €1.65

-46.77%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$17.3K $17.3K

$32.3K €28.8K

-46.45%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.9K $20.9K

$31.7K €28.2K

-34.06%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$223 $223

$183 €163

21.74%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$49.59 $49.59

$13.61 €12.11

264.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 $51.1

$32.93 €29.29

55.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 $13.20

$11.23 €9.99

17.54%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,950 $1,950

$954 €849

104.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$16.6K €14.8K

68.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.75 $45.75

$86.0 €76.5

-46.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.34 $40.34

$39.11 €34.78

3.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 $86.0

$104 €92.2

-17.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$119 €106

9.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,523 $1,523

$1,695 €1,508

-10.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 $1,434

$1,276 €1,135

12.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,652 $2,652

$2,576 €2,291

2.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,009 $2,009

$1,922 €1,710

4.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,516 $2,516

$7,281 €6,477

-65.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,164 $2,164

$5,010 €4,456

-56.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,249 $4,249

$2,227 €1,981

90.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

3.28

96.95%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Newark, DE: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Newark, DE

$1.4K 55.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 11% $158

Groceries & Markets

Newark, DE

$324 12.5%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 0.5% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newark, DE

$323 12.4%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 29% $94

Eating Out

Newark, DE

$267 10.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 0.8% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Newark, DE

$136 5.2%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 15.2% $21

Getting Around

Newark, DE

$87 3.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 45.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Newark, DE

$26 * 1%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 192% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,523 in Newark, DE and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newark, DE pays 91% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in Newark, DE vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $325 per month, with Newark, DE cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newark, DE

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

04:14 4:14 AM

6 h ahead of Newark, DE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

311,549

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Newark, DE Barcelona 6,350 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Newark, DE
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Newark, DE vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Newark, DE and Barcelona differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,598 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 91% higher in Newark, DE, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,523 in Newark, DE versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,950 in Newark, DE versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Newark, DE pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,598 in Newark, DE, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Newark, DE. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Newark, DE and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Newark, DE. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.