Cost of Living Comparison Between Porsgrunn and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Porsgrunn and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,274 in Porsgrunn versus $2,367 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,550 in Porsgrunn versus $3,465 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,827 in Porsgrunn versus $4,563 in Barcelona.

Living in Porsgrunn costs roughly 4% less than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Porsgrunn 70% above, Barcelona 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.72 NOK 267

$17.58 €15.12

63.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 NOK 944

$68.4 €58.9

48.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.57 NOK 126

$14.06 €12.09

-3.49%

Cappuccino

$4.83 NOK 44.89

$2.78 €2.39

73.74%

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

$2.05 NOK 19.06

$2.80 €2.41

-26.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NOK 19.10

$2.06 €1.78

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.86 NOK 82.3

$4.46 €3.84

98.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.68 NOK 89.9

$4.61 €3.96

109.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 NOK 19.17

$1.24 €1.07

66.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 NOK 31.86

$2.03 €1.74

68.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 NOK 29.76

$1.92 €1.65

66.67%

Eggs

$2.48 NOK 23.02

$3.31 €2.85

-25.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 NOK 95.6

$18.43 €15.85

-44.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 NOK 94.7

$9.49 €8.16

7.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$35.45 NOK 329

$19.16 €16.48

85.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 NOK 18.67

$2.64 €2.27

-23.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 NOK 15.36

$2.45 €2.11

-32.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 NOK 22.80

$2.12 €1.82

15.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.57

$2.85 €2.45

0.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 NOK 9.60

$2.04 €1.75

-49.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 NOK 20.61

$1.85 €1.59

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 NOK 21.42

$1.47 €1.26

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 NOK 16.98

$0.84 €0.73

117.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.31 NOK 133

$7.14 €6.14

100.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.06 NOK 177

$7.88 €6.78

141.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 NOK 27.46

$1.38 €1.19

114.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 NOK 36.74

$2.31 €1.99

71.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 NOK 31.47

$2.98 €2.56

13.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 NOK 674

$29.26 €25.17

148.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.04 NOK 93.3

$4.60 €3.95

118.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 NOK 13.51

$2.07 €1.78

-29.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$101 NOK 941

$29.18 €25.10

247.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 NOK 18.56

$1.84 €1.58

8.70%

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

$35.8K NOK 332.4K

$39.0K €33.6K

-8.30%

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

$38.0K NOK 352.7K

$32.7K €28.1K

16.11%

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

$223 NOK 2,068

$188 €162

18.51%

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

$43.15 NOK 401

$22.93 €19.73

88.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.10 NOK 354

$36.71 €31.58

3.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.78 NOK 462

$57.4 €49.35

-13.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 NOK 330

$20.70 €17.80

71.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 NOK 137

$11.19 €9.63

32.26%

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

$312 NOK 2,898

$721 €620

-56.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K NOK 95.3K

$15.0K €12.9K

-31.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 NOK 467

$86.2 €74.2

-41.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.87 NOK 277

$37.07 €31.89

-19.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 NOK 647

$102 €87.8

-31.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NOK 949

$116 €99.7

-11.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 NOK 11.3K

$1,534 €1,319

-20.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$909 NOK 8,449

$1,220 €1,050

-25.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 NOK 17.1K

$2,696 €2,319

-31.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,546 NOK 14.4K

$2,013 €1,732

-23.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,463

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,571 NOK 33.2K

$2,359 €2,029

51.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

3.39

12.09%

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

Last update for Porsgrunn: May 31, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,219 in Porsgrunn and $1,534 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Porsgrunn pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $102 in Porsgrunn vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $409 vs $318 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

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

Porsgrunn vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porsgrunn and Barcelona differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,274 vs $2,367 including rent). Porsgrunn is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Porsgrunn pays 51% more on average, 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: $1,219 in Porsgrunn versus $1,534 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $312 in Porsgrunn versus $721 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,274 in Porsgrunn versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Porsgrunn but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Porsgrunn 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, Porsgrunn 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 Porsgrunn gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.