Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Raleigh, NC and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,643 in Raleigh, NC, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Raleigh, NC despite lower rent and utilities.

126

Cost of Living Index in Raleigh, NC
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Raleigh, NC Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Raleigh, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,643

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,643 in Raleigh, NC versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Raleigh, NC $2,643
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,817 in Raleigh, NC versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Raleigh, NC $3,817
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,991 in Raleigh, NC versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Raleigh, NC $4,991
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Raleigh, NC is roughly 8% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Raleigh, NC 94% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.90 $21.90

$17.59 €15.75

24.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 $88.4

$67.5 €60.5

31.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 $11.44

$13.53 €12.12

-15.45%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.19 €2.86

75.55%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$2.91 €2.61

-2.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.89 €1.70

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$4.01 €3.59

52.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$4.53 €4.06

53.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.31 €1.17

-32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.02 €1.81

87.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.85 €1.66

71.35%

Eggs

$4.78 $4.78

$4.83 €4.33

-1.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.10 $15.10

$16.74 €14.99

-9.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 $9.74

$9.12 €8.17

6.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 $17.81

$19.64 €17.59

-9.32%

Apples (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$2.98 €2.67

121.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.02 €1.81

-37.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.70 €2.42

64.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.80 €2.51

105.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.09 €1.87

39.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.07 €1.85

74.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.46 €1.31

47.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.94 €0.84

135.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.64 $8.64

$6.87 €6.15

25.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$7.89 €7.06

91.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.41 €1.26

58.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.54 €2.27

7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$3.14 €2.82

-61.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.38 $40.38

$25.45 €22.79

58.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.99 €2.68

-2.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.49 €1.34

28.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.79 $17.79

$33.37 €29.89

-46.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.80 €1.61

-43.89%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$33.2K €29.7K

-7.15%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$31.7K €28.4K

-18.50%

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

$185 $185

$180 €162

2.75%

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

$56.7 $56.7

$13.84 €12.39

309.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$33.70 €30.18

103.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.01 $33.01

$51.5 €46.13

-35.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.90 $5.90

$15.96 €14.29

-63.03%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$10.99 €9.85

34.12%

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

$1,317 $1,317

$917 €821

43.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$16.5K €14.8K

45.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 $60.5

$87.0 €77.9

-30.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 $55.7

$38.51 €34.49

44.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$106 €94.8

-3.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$120 €107

32.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 $1,715

$1,699 €1,522

0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$1,355 €1,214

-4.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 $2,825

$2,603 €2,331

8.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 $1,915

$2,062 €1,847

-7.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,556 $4,556

$6,915 €6,193

-34.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,115 $2,115

$5,128 €4,592

-58.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,605 $4,605

$2,211 €1,980

108.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

3.28

101.52%

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

Last update for Raleigh, NC: 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

Raleigh, NC

$1.3K 48.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 5% $65

Groceries & Markets

Raleigh, NC

$411 15.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 21.7% $89

Eating Out

Raleigh, NC

$341 12.9%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 21.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Raleigh, NC

$311 11.8%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 26.6% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Raleigh, NC

$170 6.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 6.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Raleigh, NC

$62 2.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 17.6% $11

Getting Around

Raleigh, NC

$58 2.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 16.1% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,715 in Raleigh, NC and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Raleigh, NC pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Raleigh, NC vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Raleigh, NC

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

20:36 8:36 PM

5 h ahead of Raleigh, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

431,746

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Raleigh, NC Barcelona 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Raleigh, NC
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

Raleigh, NC vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,643 in Raleigh, NC and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Raleigh, NC is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $1,715 in Raleigh, NC versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,317 in Raleigh, NC 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 28% higher in Raleigh, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Raleigh, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.