Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,598 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,598

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,598 in Palmerston North versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Palmerston North $1,598
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,662 in Palmerston North versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Palmerston North $2,662
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,726 in Palmerston North versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Palmerston North $3,726
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Palmerston North costs roughly 35% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palmerston North 17% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.14 NZ$25.13

$17.59 €15.76

-19.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 NZ$115

$67.5 €60.5

-4.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 NZ$15.87

$13.53 €12.12

-34.00%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.87

$3.19 €2.86

3.45%

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

$2.29 NZ$4.08

$2.91 €2.61

-21.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 NZ$3.15

$1.89 €1.70

-6.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.56 NZ$11.66

$4.01 €3.59

63.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.01 NZ$12.46

$4.53 €4.06

54.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$1.31 €1.17

38.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 NZ$3.85

$2.02 €1.81

7.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.44

$1.85 €1.66

-25.95%

Eggs

$5.06 NZ$9.00

$4.83 €4.33

4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 NZ$11.85

$16.74 €15.00

-60.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.96

$9.12 €8.17

4.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 NZ$18.83

$19.64 €17.60

-46.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 NZ$4.66

$2.98 €2.67

-12.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 NZ$3.97

$2.02 €1.81

10.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 NZ$4.16

$2.70 €2.42

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.55 NZ$9.87

$2.80 €2.51

98.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$2.09 €1.87

-30.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 NZ$1.55

$2.07 €1.85

-57.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 NZ$3.10

$1.46 €1.31

19.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 NZ$1.35

$0.94 €0.84

-19.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.42 NZ$39.86

$6.87 €6.16

226.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 NZ$14.35

$7.89 €7.07

2.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 NZ$4.77

$1.41 €1.26

90.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 NZ$5.21

$2.54 €2.27

15.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 NZ$3.56

$3.14 €2.82

-35.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 NZ$209

$25.45 €22.80

361.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 NZ$3.36

$2.99 €2.68

-36.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.17

$1.49 €1.34

19.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.19 NZ$30.55

$33.37 €29.91

-48.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.99

$1.80 €1.61

-6.67%

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

$27.3K NZ$48.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

-17.81%

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

$24.0K NZ$42.6K

$31.7K €28.4K

-24.31%

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

$69.0 NZ$123

$180 €162

-61.76%

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

$33.60 NZ$59.7

$13.84 €12.40

142.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.32 NZ$62.8

$33.70 €30.20

4.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.91 NZ$44.28

$51.5 €46.16

-51.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.01 NZ$24.90

$15.96 €14.30

-12.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.66 NZ$20.73

$10.99 €9.85

6.10%

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

$1,058 NZ$1,881

$917 €821

15.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,589 NZ$15.3K

$16.5K €14.8K

-47.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 NZ$124

$87.0 €78.0

-19.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.83 NZ$51.3

$38.51 €34.51

-25.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 NZ$150

$106 €94.8

-20.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.6 NZ$150

$120 €107

-29.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 NZ$1,625

$1,699 €1,523

-46.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 NZ$1,114

$1,355 €1,214

-53.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 NZ$2,876

$2,603 €2,332

-37.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,428 NZ$2,539

$2,062 €1,848

-30.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,058 NZ$3,658

$6,915 €6,196

-70.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 NZ$3,389

$5,128 €4,595

-62.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,521 NZ$4,481

$2,211 €1,981

14.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

3.28

64.33%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmerston North

$627 39.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 116% $728

Groceries & Markets

Palmerston North

$286 17.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 12.4% $35

Eating Out

Palmerston North

$243 15.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 10.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmerston North

$138 8.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 65.3% $90

Getting Around

Palmerston North

$136 8.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 64.4% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Palmerston North

$120 7.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 31.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Palmerston North

$48 3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 52.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $914 in Palmerston North and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palmerston North pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64 in Palmerston North vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $322 per month, with Palmerston North cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

03:40 3:40 AM

12 h behind Palmerston North

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,500

1,660,122

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Palmerston North Barcelona 19,450 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmerston North
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

Palmerston North vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,598 in Palmerston North and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Palmerston North is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Palmerston North, 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: $914 in Palmerston North versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,058 in Palmerston North 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 12% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,598 in Palmerston North versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmerston North but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Palmerston North 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, Palmerston North and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.