Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surprise, AZ and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Surprise, AZ: $1,301 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Surprise, AZ
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Surprise, AZ Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Surprise, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,301

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,301 in Surprise, AZ versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Surprise, AZ $1,301
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,613 in Surprise, AZ versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Surprise, AZ $3,613
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,926 in Surprise, AZ versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Surprise, AZ $5,926
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Surprise, AZ costs roughly 45% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surprise, AZ is 4% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.11 $20.11

$17.89 €15.92

12.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 $86.5

$66.2 €58.9

30.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.13 $13.13

$13.69 €12.18

-4.09%

Cappuccino

$6.18 $6.18

$3.06 €2.72

101.96%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$3.07 €2.73

-10.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.94 €1.73

25.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 $6.82

$3.87 €3.44

76.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$4.61 €4.10

76.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.30 €1.16

-21.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.10 €1.87

75.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.83 €1.62

181.42%

Eggs

$4.70 $4.70

$4.62 €4.11

1.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$17.36 €15.44

-22.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 $11.35

$9.28 €8.25

22.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 $14.86

$19.83 €17.64

-25.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.01 €2.68

53.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.03 €1.81

-3.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.65 €2.36

49.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.87 €2.55

44.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.16 €1.92

13.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.15 €1.91

33.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.47 €1.31

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.88 €0.79

138.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 $10.84

$6.93 €6.16

56.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 $13.46

$7.83 €6.96

71.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.39 €1.24

74.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.63 €2.34

23.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.00 €2.66

-7.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.44 €1.28

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.40 $36.40

$33.20 €29.53

9.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.86 €1.65

-41.40%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$32.3K €28.8K

11.65%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$31.7K €28.2K

-18.33%

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

$195 $195

$183 €163

6.43%

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

$61.5 $61.5

$13.61 €12.11

352.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 $73.7

$32.93 €29.29

123.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.7 $59.7

$54.7 €48.65

9.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$11.23 €9.99

17.28%

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

$1,121 $1,121

$954 €849

17.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K $15.8K

$16.6K €14.8K

-4.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 $54.1

$86.0 €76.5

-37.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.66 $43.66

$39.11 €34.78

11.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 $97.3

$104 €92.2

-6.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$119 €106

-4.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$2,576 €2,291

-18.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,013 $3,013

$1,922 €1,710

56.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,645 $1,645

$5,010 €4,456

-67.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,368 $4,368

$2,227 €1,981

96.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

3.28

96.34%

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

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surprise, AZ

$391 30.1%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 17% $66

Eating Out

Surprise, AZ

$346 26.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 22% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surprise, AZ

$330 25.3%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 30.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Surprise, AZ

$139 10.7%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 12.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Surprise, AZ

$86 6.6%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 10.3% $8.8

Getting Around

Surprise, AZ

$9.6 * 0.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 394% $38

Accommodation & Living

Surprise, AZ

- * 0%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Surprise, AZ pays 96% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87.0 in Surprise, AZ vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:37 12:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

9 h ahead of Surprise, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,148

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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Highest

Between locations

Surprise, AZ Barcelona 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Surprise, AZ
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

Surprise, AZ vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surprise, AZ and Barcelona differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($1,301 vs $2,381 including rent). Surprise, AZ is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 96% higher in Surprise, AZ, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,121 in Surprise, AZ 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 Surprise, AZ – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,301 in Surprise, AZ versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surprise, AZ but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Surprise, AZ the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Surprise, AZ 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 Surprise, AZ gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.