Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salem, OH and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Salem, OH and in Barcelona: $2,394 and $2,381 a month, rent and utilities included.

115

Cost of Living Index in Salem, OH
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Salem, OH Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Salem, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,394

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,394 in Salem, OH versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Salem, OH $2,394
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,399 in Salem, OH versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Salem, OH $3,399
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,405 in Salem, OH versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Salem, OH $4,405
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Salem, OH is roughly 1% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Salem, OH 77% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.83 $13.83

$17.89 €15.92

-22.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.28 $49.28

$66.2 €58.9

-25.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.20 $10.20

$13.69 €12.18

-25.49%

Cappuccino

$3.08 $3.08

$3.06 €2.72

0.65%

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

$2.13 $2.13

$3.07 €2.73

-30.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.94 €1.73

-19.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.87 €3.44

3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 $3.92

$4.61 €4.10

-14.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.30 €1.16

-32.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.10 €1.87

61.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.83 €1.62

120.77%

Eggs

$3.29 $3.29

$4.62 €4.11

-28.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 $11.24

$17.36 €15.44

-35.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 $9.94

$9.28 €8.25

7.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 $16.17

$19.83 €17.64

-18.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.01 €2.68

11.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.03 €1.81

-29.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.65 €2.36

69.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.87 €2.55

27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.16 €1.92

18.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.15 €1.91

-8.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.47 €1.31

79.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.88 €0.79

156.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.74 $9.74

$6.93 €6.16

40.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.32 $13.32

$7.83 €6.96

70.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.39 €1.24

41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.63 €2.34

20.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.91 €2.59

-31.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.00 €2.66

-14.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.44 €1.28

70.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.80 $39.80

$33.20 €29.53

19.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.86 €1.65

-45.16%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$32.3K €28.8K

-3.21%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$31.7K €28.2K

-17.43%

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

$180 $180

$183 €163

-1.62%

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

$59.6 $59.6

$13.61 €12.11

337.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 $64.7

$32.93 €29.29

96.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.61 $45.61

$54.7 €48.65

-16.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$12.08 $12.08

$11.23 €9.99

7.57%

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

$495 $495

$954 €849

-48.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K $14.4K

$16.6K €14.8K

-13.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.74 $45.74

$86.0 €76.5

-46.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.12 $40.12

$39.11 €34.78

2.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 $72.0

$104 €92.2

-30.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 $78.8

$119 €106

-33.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 $1,625

$1,695 €1,508

-4.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 $1,312

$1,276 €1,135

2.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,540 $2,540

$2,576 €2,291

-1.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,113 $2,113

$1,922 €1,710

9.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,739 $2,739

$7,281 €6,477

-62.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,382 $2,382

$5,010 €4,456

-52.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

3.28

98.48%

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

Last update for Salem, OH: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salem, OH

$1.3K 54.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 2.7% $35

Groceries & Markets

Salem, OH

$358 15%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 9.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salem, OH

$304 12.7%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 24.6% $75

Eating Out

Salem, OH

$221 9.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 22% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Salem, OH

$107 4.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 46.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Salem, OH

$70 2.9%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 10.6% $7.4

Getting Around

Salem, OH

$23 * 1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 108% $25

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 $1,625 in Salem, OH and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Salem, OH vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $358 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salem, OH

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

6 h ahead of Salem, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,469

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

Salem, OH Barcelona 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Salem, OH
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

Salem, OH vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salem, OH and Barcelona differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,394 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,590 in Salem, OH and $3,571 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,625 in Salem, OH versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $495 in Salem, OH 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 $49.00 in Salem, OH. 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, Salem, OH 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 1% less than in Salem, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.