Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarpsborg and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,872 in Sarpsborg, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. The total is higher in Sarpsborg despite lower rent and utilities.

Sarpsborg, Norway
Barcelona, Spain
Sarpsborg
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,872
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,872 in Sarpsborg versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

  • Sarpsborg $2,872
  • Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,169 in Sarpsborg versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

  • Sarpsborg $4,169
  • Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,466 in Sarpsborg versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

  • Sarpsborg $5,466
  • Barcelona $4,595

Living in Sarpsborg is roughly 18% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sarpsborg 112% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sarpsborg
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$40.81 NOK 379
$17.66 €15.73
131.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$99.3 NOK 921
$67.5 €60.1
47.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.17 NOK 178
$13.61 €12.13
40.85%
Cappuccino
$5.74 NOK 53.3
$3.10 €2.76
85.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 NOK 26.75
$3.00 €2.67
-4.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 NOK 24.77
$1.93 €1.72
38.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.60 NOK 61.2
$3.84 €3.42
71.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.19 NOK 76.0
$4.36 €3.88
87.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sarpsborg
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.32 NOK 21.49
$1.25 €1.11
85.60%
White Bread (500g)
$3.49 NOK 32.42
$2.12 €1.89
64.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.01 NOK 37.22
$1.97 €1.76
103.55%
Eggs
$4.56 NOK 42.30
$4.76 €4.24
-4.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.54 NOK 116
$17.07 €15.20
-26.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.04 NOK 158
$8.96 €7.98
90.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$34.26 NOK 318
$20.65 €18.39
65.91%
Apples (1kg)
$3.85 NOK 35.74
$3.16 €2.82
21.84%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 NOK 24.81
$1.97 €1.75
35.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.49 NOK 32.43
$2.65 €2.36
31.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.04 NOK 56.1
$2.88 €2.57
109.72%
Potato (1kg)
$2.84 NOK 26.39
$2.06 €1.83
37.86%
Onion (1kg)
$3.18 NOK 29.50
$2.18 €1.94
45.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.65 NOK 24.61
$1.53 €1.37
73.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.59 NOK 24.00
$0.97 €0.86
167.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.56 NOK 144
$6.97 €6.21
123.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.73 NOK 127
$7.89 €7.03
74.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.34 NOK 30.97
$1.42 €1.26
135.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.71 NOK 43.69
$2.69 €2.39
75.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Sarpsborg
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.62 NOK 24.36
$3.31 €2.95
-20.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$87.2 NOK 809
$25.61 €22.81
240.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.01 NOK 111
$3.08 €2.75
289.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.97 NOK 18.26
$1.48 €1.32
33.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$63.8 NOK 592
$32.87 €29.28
94.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.27 NOK 21.08
$1.87 €1.66
21.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$55.3K NOK 513.5K
$33.0K €29.4K
67.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$47.2K NOK 437.7K
$31.9K €28.5K
47.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sarpsborg
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$238 NOK 2,207
$183 €163
30.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.62 NOK 340
$14.24 €12.69
157.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.03 NOK 436
$34.56 €30.79
36.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sarpsborg
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.1 NOK 465
$51.4 €45.81
-2.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$38.46 NOK 357
$16.38 €14.60
134.80%
Cinema Ticket
$19.49 NOK 181
$11.06 €9.86
76.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sarpsborg
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$239 NOK 2,217
$944 €841
-74.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K NOK 107.7K
$22.3K €19.8K
-47.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sarpsborg
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 NOK 1,034
$87.7 €78.1
27.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.9 NOK 621
$38.77 €34.54
72.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 NOK 1,158
$105 €93.1
19.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$180 NOK 1,670
$118 €105
52.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sarpsborg
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,224 NOK 11.4K
$1,697 €1,512
-27.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,093 NOK 10.1K
$1,337 €1,191
-18.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,606 NOK 14.9K
$2,692 €2,398
-40.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,399 NOK 13.0K
$2,077 €1,850
-32.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,415 NOK 59.5K
$7,155 €6,373
-10.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,241 NOK 39.4K
$5,079 €4,524
-16.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sarpsborg
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,714 NOK 25.2K
$2,241 €1,997
21.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.18
3.19
62.38%

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

Last update for Sarpsborg: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sarpsborg
$1.1K
Barcelona
$1.3K 22.3% $244
Eating Out
Sarpsborg
$524
Barcelona
$267 49.1% $257
Groceries & Markets
Sarpsborg
$508
Barcelona
$328 35.4% $180
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sarpsborg
$321
Barcelona
$232 27.9% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Sarpsborg
$217
Barcelona
$157 27.8% $60
Getting Around
Sarpsborg
$120
Barcelona
$49 58.7% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Sarpsborg
$89
Barcelona
$74 17.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,224 in Sarpsborg and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarpsborg pays 21% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Sarpsborg vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $508 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Sarpsborg
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
00:07 12:07 AM
00:07 12:07 AM
Same time as Sarpsborg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
59,906
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.28 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.42 NOK (100 NOK = 9.6 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sarpsborg Barcelona 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sarpsborg
  • 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
Sarpsborg vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Sarpsborg and in Barcelona?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,872 in Sarpsborg and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Sarpsborg or Barcelona?
Average pay runs 21% higher in Sarpsborg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Sarpsborg and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,224 in Sarpsborg versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Sarpsborg and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $239 in Sarpsborg versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Sarpsborg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How does quality of life compare between Sarpsborg and Barcelona?
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.
Is Sarpsborg or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Sarpsborg and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Sarpsborg and Barcelona?
It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Sarpsborg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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