Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olympia, WA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,983 in Olympia, WA, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Olympia, WA
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Olympia, WA Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Olympia, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,983

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Olympia, WA 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 Olympia, WA and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,983 in Olympia, WA versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Olympia, WA $2,983
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,154 in Olympia, WA versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Olympia, WA $4,154
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,325 in Olympia, WA versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Olympia, WA $5,325
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Olympia, WA is roughly 25% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Olympia, WA 120% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$17.89 €15.92

37.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 $65.0

$66.2 €58.9

-1.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.68 $12.68

$13.69 €12.18

-7.38%

Cappuccino

$6.42 $6.42

$3.06 €2.72

109.80%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$3.07 €2.73

-4.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.94 €1.73

-13.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.87 €3.44

78.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$4.61 €4.10

50.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.30 €1.16

-17.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.10 €1.87

112.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.83 €1.62

72.68%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$4.62 €4.11

8.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.35 $18.35

$17.36 €15.44

5.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.41 $10.41

$9.28 €8.25

12.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.73 $16.73

$19.83 €17.64

-15.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.01 €2.68

74.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.03 €1.81

-20.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.65 €2.36

50.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.87 €2.55

59.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.16 €1.92

20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.15 €1.91

15.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.47 €1.31

59.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.88 €0.79

190.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.09 $12.09

$6.93 €6.16

74.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$7.83 €6.96

89.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.39 €1.24

76.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.63 €2.34

-10.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.91 €2.59

-70.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.00 €2.66

67.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.44 €1.28

84.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.7 $51.7

$33.20 €29.53

55.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.86 €1.65

-26.88%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$32.3K €28.8K

-12.84%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$31.7K €28.2K

-14.52%

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

$156 $156

$183 €163

-14.75%

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

$69.6 $69.6

$13.61 €12.11

411.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.4 $95.4

$32.93 €29.29

189.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.1 $69.1

$54.7 €48.65

26.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.06 $5.06

$16.52 €14.70

-69.37%

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 $12.09

$11.23 €9.99

7.66%

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

$1,454 $1,454

$954 €849

52.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.13 $45.13

$86.0 €76.5

-47.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 $54.5

$39.11 €34.78

39.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 $91.2

$104 €92.2

-12.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$119 €106

-13.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 $1,718

$1,695 €1,508

1.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 $1,618

$1,276 €1,135

26.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,143 $3,143

$2,576 €2,291

22.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,350 $2,350

$1,922 €1,710

22.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,235 $3,235

$7,281 €6,477

-55.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,068 $3,068

$5,010 €4,456

-38.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,106 $5,106

$2,227 €1,981

129.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

3.28

107.62%

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

Last update for Olympia, WA: 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

Olympia, WA

$1.6K 54.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 21.1% $342

Groceries & Markets

Olympia, WA

$420 14.1%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 22.5% $94

Eating Out

Olympia, WA

$378 12.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 28.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olympia, WA

$321 10.8%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 28.5% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Olympia, WA

$132 4.4%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 18.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Olympia, WA

$93 3.1%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 17.2% $16

Getting Around

Olympia, WA

$22 * 0.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 117% $26

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 $1,718 in Olympia, WA and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Olympia, WA pays 129% 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: $65.0 in Olympia, WA vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $420 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Olympia, WA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

06:35 6:35 AM

9 h ahead of Olympia, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,605

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

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Between locations

Olympia, WA Barcelona 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Olympia, WA
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

Olympia, WA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olympia, WA and Barcelona differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($2,983 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 129% higher in Olympia, WA, 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: $1,718 in Olympia, WA versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,454 in Olympia, WA versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $65.0 in Olympia, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Olympia, WA 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 25% less than in Olympia, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.