Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palm Springs, CA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,804 in Palm Springs, CA, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Palm Springs, CA
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Palm Springs, CA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Palm Springs, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,804

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,804 in Palm Springs, CA versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Palm Springs, CA $2,804
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,462 in Palm Springs, CA versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Palm Springs, CA $4,462
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,120 in Palm Springs, CA versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Palm Springs, CA $6,120
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Palm Springs, CA is roughly 14% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palm Springs, CA 106% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.21 $30.21

$17.59 €15.80

71.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$67.5 €60.6

9.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$13.53 €12.15

-27.35%

Cappuccino

$5.31 $5.31

$3.19 €2.87

66.46%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$2.91 €2.62

-4.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.89 €1.70

-16.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.96 $4.96

$4.01 €3.60

23.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 $5.60

$4.53 €4.07

23.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.31 €1.17

3.05%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.02 €1.81

98.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.85 €1.66

60.00%

Eggs

$5.64 $5.64

$4.83 €4.34

16.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.91 $13.91

$16.74 €15.03

-16.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.85 $13.85

$9.12 €8.19

51.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.34 $12.34

$19.64 €17.64

-37.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.98 €2.68

68.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.02 €1.81

5.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.70 €2.43

67.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.80 €2.52

80.36%

Potato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.09 €1.87

119.62%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.07 €1.86

105.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.46 €1.31

48.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.94 €0.84

132.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.80 $11.80

$6.87 €6.17

71.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.53 $13.53

$7.89 €7.08

71.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.41 €1.26

17.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.54 €2.28

9.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 $1.03

$3.14 €2.82

-67.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.71 $33.71

$25.45 €22.86

32.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.99 €2.69

16.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.49 €1.34

21.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.64 $23.64

$33.37 €29.98

-29.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.80 €1.61

-23.89%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$33.2K €29.8K

-8.62%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$31.7K €28.5K

-17.19%

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

$243 $243

$180 €162

34.79%

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

$81.6 $81.6

$13.84 €12.43

489.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.5 $66.5

$33.70 €30.27

97.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.81 $32.81

$51.5 €46.27

-36.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.68 $49.68

$15.96 €14.34

211.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.07 $12.07

$10.99 €9.88

9.83%

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

$556 $556

$917 €823

-39.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,546 $8,546

$16.5K €14.8K

-48.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.48 $31.48

$87.0 €78.2

-63.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.67 $34.67

$38.51 €34.59

-9.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 $72.4

$106 €95.1

-31.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$120 €108

15.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 $1,961

$1,699 €1,527

15.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,378 $1,378

$1,355 €1,217

1.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,450 $3,450

$2,603 €2,338

32.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,963 $2,963

$2,062 €1,853

43.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,132 $5,132

$6,915 €6,211

-25.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,464 $3,464

$5,128 €4,606

-32.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,839 $4,839

$2,211 €1,986

118.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

3.28

103.66%

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

Last update for Palm Springs, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palm Springs, CA

$1.4K 49.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 1.6% $22

Groceries & Markets

Palm Springs, CA

$415 14.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 22.5% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palm Springs, CA

$391 14%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 41.7% $163

Eating Out

Palm Springs, CA

$388 13.8%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 31% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Palm Springs, CA

$125 4.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 26.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Palm Springs, CA

$57 2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 29% $17

Getting Around

Palm Springs, CA

$50 1.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 3.7% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,961 in Palm Springs, CA and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palm Springs, CA pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Palm Springs, CA vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $415 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Palm Springs, CA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

23:22 11:22 PM

8 h ahead of Palm Springs, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,575

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Palm Springs, CA Barcelona 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Palm Springs, CA
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

Palm Springs, CA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,804 in Palm Springs, CA and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Palm Springs, CA is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $1,961 in Palm Springs, CA versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Palm Springs, CA versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Palm Springs, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Palm Springs, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.