Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Providence, RI and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $3,394 in Providence, RI, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Providence, RI
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Providence, RI Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Providence, RI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,394

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,394 in Providence, RI versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Providence, RI $3,394
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,649 in Providence, RI versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Providence, RI $4,649
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,903 in Providence, RI versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Providence, RI $5,903
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Providence, RI is roughly 43% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Providence, RI 150% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.01 $18.01

$17.89 €15.92

0.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.2 $96.2

$66.2 €58.9

45.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 $13.64

$13.69 €12.18

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$5.50 $5.50

$3.06 €2.72

79.74%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$3.07 €2.73

-3.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.94 €1.73

1.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.87 €3.44

29.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 $8.01

$4.61 €4.10

73.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.30 €1.16

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.10 €1.87

52.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$1.83 €1.62

192.35%

Eggs

$4.94 $4.94

$4.62 €4.11

6.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 $11.41

$17.36 €15.44

-34.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$9.28 €8.25

55.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 $17.98

$19.83 €17.64

-9.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$3.01 €2.68

59.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.03 €1.81

-32.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.65 €2.36

110.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.87 €2.55

63.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.16 €1.92

52.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.15 €1.91

66.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.47 €1.31

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.88 €0.79

129.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.46 $13.46

$6.93 €6.16

94.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 $13.30

$7.83 €6.96

69.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.39 €1.24

47.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.63 €2.34

55.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.91 €2.59

-29.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 $70.9

$25.46 €22.64

178.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.00 €2.66

68.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.44 €1.28

-2.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 $30.45

$33.20 €29.53

-8.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.86 €1.65

-41.40%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$32.3K €28.8K

-15.08%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$31.7K €28.2K

-17.71%

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

$313 $313

$183 €163

71.47%

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

$70.4 $70.4

$13.61 €12.11

417.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.6 $83.6

$32.93 €29.29

153.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 $56.9

$54.7 €48.65

4.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.8 $60.8

$16.52 €14.70

268.16%

Cinema Ticket

$14.60 $14.60

$11.23 €9.99

30.01%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$954 €849

54.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K $16.8K

$16.6K €14.8K

1.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$86.0 €76.5

-37.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 $38.95

$39.11 €34.78

-0.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 $80.2

$104 €92.2

-22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$119 €106

-15.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,440 $2,440

$1,695 €1,508

43.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$1,276 €1,135

48.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,174 $3,174

$2,576 €2,291

23.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 $2,602

$1,922 €1,710

35.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,746 $3,746

$7,281 €6,477

-48.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 $3,316

$5,010 €4,456

-33.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,773 $3,773

$2,227 €1,981

69.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.28

102.44%

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

Last update for Providence, RI: 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

Providence, RI

$1.9K 55.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 32.7% $621

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Providence, RI

$467 13.8%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 50.9% $238

Groceries & Markets

Providence, RI

$417 12.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 22.1% $92

Eating Out

Providence, RI

$312 9.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 13.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Providence, RI

$123 3.6%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 27.1% $33

Getting Around

Providence, RI

$91 2.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 48.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Providence, RI

$86 2.5%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 10.4% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,440 in Providence, RI and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Providence, RI pays 69% 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: $96.0 in Providence, RI vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Providence, RI

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

22:30 10:30 PM

6 h ahead of Providence, RI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

179,472

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

On the map

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Between locations

Providence, RI Barcelona 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Providence, RI
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

Providence, RI vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Providence, RI and Barcelona differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($3,394 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 69% higher in Providence, RI, 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: $2,440 in Providence, RI versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,477 in Providence, RI versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Providence, RI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Providence, RI 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 43% less than in Providence, RI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.