Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philadelphia, PA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. The total is higher in Philadelphia, PA despite lower rent and utilities.

136

Cost of Living Index in Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,823

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Philadelphia, PA $2,823
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,218 in Philadelphia, PA versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Philadelphia, PA $4,218
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,612 in Philadelphia, PA versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Philadelphia, PA $5,612
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Philadelphia, PA is roughly 15% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Philadelphia, PA 107% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.40 $23.40

$17.59 €15.80

33.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$67.5 €60.6

25.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.73 $12.73

$13.53 €12.15

-5.91%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.19 €2.87

66.77%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$2.91 €2.62

3.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.89 €1.70

17.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$4.01 €3.60

45.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$4.53 €4.07

79.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.31 €1.17

10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.02 €1.81

114.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$1.85 €1.66

280.54%

Eggs

$4.93 $4.93

$4.83 €4.34

2.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$16.74 €15.04

-28.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.45 $12.45

$9.12 €8.19

36.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 $17.21

$19.64 €17.64

-12.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$2.98 €2.68

87.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.02 €1.81

-20.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$2.70 €2.43

105.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.80 €2.52

98.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.09 €1.87

37.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.07 €1.86

53.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.46 €1.31

76.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$0.94 €0.84

169.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.03 $12.03

$6.87 €6.17

75.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$7.89 €7.09

93.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.41 €1.26

65.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.54 €2.28

72.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.14 €2.82

-5.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 $117

$25.45 €22.86

358.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.99 €2.69

-5.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.49 €1.34

6.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.53 $23.53

$33.37 €29.99

-29.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.80 €1.62

-38.89%

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

$31.8K $31.8K

$33.2K €29.8K

-4.19%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$31.7K €28.5K

-17.69%

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

$224 $224

$180 €162

23.96%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$13.84 €12.43

369.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$33.70 €30.28

100.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 $71.1

$51.5 €46.28

37.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$88.9 $88.9

$15.96 €14.34

456.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 $15.13

$10.99 €9.88

37.67%

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

$2,117 $2,117

$917 €824

130.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.8K $41.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

153.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$87.0 €78.2

-42.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.91 $43.91

$38.51 €34.60

14.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$106 €95.1

-2.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$120 €108

18.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 $2,069

$1,699 €1,527

21.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$1,355 €1,218

-6.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,571 $4,571

$2,603 €2,339

75.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 $2,103

$2,062 €1,853

1.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,141 $4,141

$6,915 €6,213

-40.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,890 $1,890

$5,128 €4,607

-63.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,139 $4,139

$2,211 €1,986

87.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

3.28

103.05%

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

Last update for Philadelphia, PA: 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

Philadelphia, PA

$1.3K 44.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 6.8% $87

Groceries & Markets

Philadelphia, PA

$450 15.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 28.4% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 36% $128

Eating Out

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 24.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Philadelphia, PA

$152 5.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 3.7% $5.7

Getting Around

Philadelphia, PA

$139 4.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 65.2% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Philadelphia, PA

$101 3.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 27.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philadelphia, PA pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Philadelphia, PA vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $450 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, PA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

5 h ahead of Philadelphia, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,573,916

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Philadelphia, PA Barcelona 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Philadelphia, PA
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

Philadelphia, PA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Philadelphia, PA and Barcelona differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,823 vs $2,453 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Philadelphia, PA, 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: $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,117 in Philadelphia, PA 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 40% higher in Philadelphia, PA. 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 Philadelphia, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.