Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth Amboy, NJ and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,684 in Perth Amboy, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Perth Amboy, NJ
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Perth Amboy, NJ Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Perth Amboy, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,684

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Perth Amboy, NJ $2,684
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,774 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Perth Amboy, NJ $3,774
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,865 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Perth Amboy, NJ $4,865
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Perth Amboy, NJ is roughly 13% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth Amboy, NJ 98% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 $19.32

$17.89 €15.92

7.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$66.2 €58.9

18.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 $13.14

$13.69 €12.18

-4.02%

Cappuccino

$6.28 $6.28

$3.06 €2.72

105.23%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$3.07 €2.73

-17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.94 €1.73

-22.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.90 $8.90

$3.87 €3.44

129.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$4.61 €4.10

54.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.30 €1.16

-12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.10 €1.87

6.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$1.83 €1.62

236.61%

Eggs

$2.93 $2.93

$4.62 €4.11

-36.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$17.36 €15.44

-21.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 $10.45

$9.28 €8.25

12.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.90 $19.90

$19.83 €17.64

0.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.01 €2.68

98.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.03 €1.81

72.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.65 €2.36

63.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.87 €2.55

81.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.16 €1.92

-35.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.15 €1.91

-34.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.47 €1.31

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$0.88 €0.79

239.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.80 $14.80

$6.93 €6.16

113.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 $12.21

$7.83 €6.96

55.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.39 €1.24

32.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.63 €2.34

37.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.91 €2.59

-37.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.00 €2.66

1.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.44 €1.28

46.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.43 $42.43

$33.20 €29.53

27.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.86 €1.65

-44.09%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$32.3K €28.8K

-14.30%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$31.7K €28.2K

-19.50%

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

$170 $170

$183 €163

-6.79%

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

$24.07 $24.07

$13.61 €12.11

76.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.71 $49.71

$32.93 €29.29

50.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.11 $41.11

$54.7 €48.65

-24.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$17.68 $17.68

$11.23 €9.99

57.44%

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

$2,026 $2,026

$954 €849

112.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$16.6K €14.8K

-2.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.62 $33.62

$86.0 €76.5

-60.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 $40.44

$39.11 €34.78

3.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 $77.1

$104 €92.2

-25.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 $96.4

$119 €106

-18.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 $1,617

$1,695 €1,508

-4.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$1,276 €1,135

15.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 $2,211

$2,576 €2,291

-14.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 $2,137

$1,922 €1,710

11.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,753 $2,753

$7,281 €6,477

-62.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,425 $2,425

$5,010 €4,456

-51.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,323 $3,323

$2,227 €1,981

49.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

3.28

107.32%

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

Last update for Perth Amboy, NJ: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth Amboy, NJ

$1.5K 55.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 13.8% $204

Groceries & Markets

Perth Amboy, NJ

$407 15.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 20.1% $82

Eating Out

Perth Amboy, NJ

$344 12.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 21.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth Amboy, NJ

$244 9.1%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 6.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Perth Amboy, NJ

$111 4.2%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 40.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Perth Amboy, NJ

$76 2.9%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Perth Amboy, NJ

$21 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 127% $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 $1,617 in Perth Amboy, NJ and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth Amboy, NJ pays 49% 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: $78.0 in Perth Amboy, NJ vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Perth Amboy, NJ

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

6 h ahead of Perth Amboy, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,607

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

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Between locations

Perth Amboy, NJ Barcelona 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth Amboy, NJ
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

Perth Amboy, NJ vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Perth Amboy, NJ and Barcelona differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,684 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 49% higher in Perth Amboy, NJ, 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: $1,617 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,026 in Perth Amboy, NJ 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 $78.0 in Perth Amboy, NJ. 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, Perth Amboy, NJ 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 13% less than in Perth Amboy, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.