Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scranton, PA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Scranton, PA: $2,386 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. The total is higher in Barcelona despite lower rent and utilities.

114

Cost of Living Index in Scranton, PA
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Scranton, PA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Scranton, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,386

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,386 in Scranton, PA versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Scranton, PA $2,386
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,328 in Scranton, PA versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Scranton, PA $3,328
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Scranton, PA versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Scranton, PA $4,270
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Scranton, PA costs roughly 3% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scranton, PA 75% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.79 $11.79

$17.59 €15.75

-32.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 $77.1

$67.5 €60.5

14.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.01 $6.01

$13.53 €12.12

-55.58%

Cappuccino

$4.37 $4.37

$3.19 €2.86

36.99%

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

$1.52 $1.52

$2.91 €2.61

-47.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.89 €1.70

-46.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 $6.71

$4.01 €3.59

67.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 $7.69

$4.53 €4.06

69.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.31 €1.17

-42.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.02 €1.81

-31.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.85 €1.66

15.14%

Eggs

$3.31 $3.31

$4.83 €4.33

-31.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.91 $10.91

$16.74 €14.99

-34.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 $8.67

$9.12 €8.17

-4.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 $11.19

$19.64 €17.59

-43.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.98 €2.67

23.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$2.02 €1.81

-36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.70 €2.42

24.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.80 €2.51

59.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.09 €1.87

44.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.07 €1.85

56.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.46 €1.31

38.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.94 €0.84

9.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.28 $9.28

$6.87 €6.15

35.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.04 $12.04

$7.89 €7.06

52.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.41 €1.26

107.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.54 €2.27

89.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.14 €2.82

-43.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 $60.6

$25.45 €22.79

137.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.99 €2.68

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.49 €1.34

34.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.65 $24.65

$33.37 €29.89

-26.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.80 €1.61

-39.44%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.2K €29.7K

-18.42%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$31.7K €28.4K

-15.68%

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

$237 $237

$180 €162

31.23%

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

$39.88 $39.88

$13.84 €12.39

188.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.44 $49.44

$33.70 €30.18

46.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.90 $24.90

$51.5 €46.13

-51.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.78 $15.78

$15.96 €14.29

-1.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 $11.20

$10.99 €9.85

1.91%

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

$769 $769

$917 €821

-16.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K $17.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

8.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 $45.86

$87.0 €77.9

-47.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.04 $30.04

$38.51 €34.49

-21.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 $73.8

$106 €94.8

-30.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 $84.0

$120 €107

-29.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,699 €1,522

-25.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 $1,304

$1,355 €1,214

-3.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 $2,143

$2,603 €2,331

-17.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,880 $1,880

$2,062 €1,847

-8.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,703 $1,703

$6,915 €6,193

-75.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,421 $1,421

$5,128 €4,592

-72.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,250 $3,250

$2,211 €1,980

47.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

3.28

103.35%

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

Last update for Scranton, PA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scranton, PA

$1.3K 54.7%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 3.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scranton, PA

$326 13.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 30.1% $98

Groceries & Markets

Scranton, PA

$299 12.5%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 7.7% $23

Eating Out

Scranton, PA

$224 9.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 19.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Scranton, PA

$105 4.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 50.2% $53

Getting Around

Scranton, PA

$81 3.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 40.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Scranton, PA

$47 2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 55.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,274 in Scranton, PA and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scranton, PA pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $77 in Scranton, PA vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $299 vs $322, with Scranton, PA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scranton, PA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

23:29 11:29 PM

6 h ahead of Scranton, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,861

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

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Between locations

Scranton, PA Barcelona 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Scranton, PA
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

Scranton, PA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,386 in Scranton, PA and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Scranton, PA is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Scranton, PA, 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: $1,274 in Scranton, PA versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $769 in Scranton, PA 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 8% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.