Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waltham, MA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $4,278 in Waltham, MA, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

205

Cost of Living Index in Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Waltham, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,278

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,278 in Waltham, MA versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Waltham, MA $4,278
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,563 in Waltham, MA versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Waltham, MA $6,563
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,848 in Waltham, MA versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Waltham, MA $8,848
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Waltham, MA is roughly 74% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waltham, MA 214% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.85 $24.85

$17.59 €15.76

41.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.5 $96.5

$67.5 €60.5

42.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.02 $12.02

$13.53 €12.12

-11.16%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$3.19 €2.86

62.07%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$2.91 €2.61

1.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.89 €1.70

16.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$4.01 €3.59

25.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 $8.06

$4.53 €4.06

77.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.31 €1.17

-20.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.02 €1.81

94.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$1.85 €1.66

190.27%

Eggs

$4.89 $4.89

$4.83 €4.33

1.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$16.74 €15.00

-33.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.12 €8.17

55.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$19.64 €17.60

-11.61%

Apples (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$2.98 €2.67

123.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.02 €1.81

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.70 €2.42

102.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.80 €2.51

101.79%

Potato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.09 €1.87

116.27%

Onion (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.07 €1.85

94.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.46 €1.31

104.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.94 €0.84

212.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.30 $13.30

$6.87 €6.16

93.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.60 $13.60

$7.89 €7.07

72.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.41 €1.26

49.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.54 €2.27

62.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.8 $58.8

$25.45 €22.80

131.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.99 €2.68

-11.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.49 €1.34

15.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.47 $28.47

$33.37 €29.91

-14.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.80 €1.61

-41.67%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$33.2K €29.7K

-18.67%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$31.7K €28.4K

-17.64%

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

$324 $324

$180 €162

79.37%

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

$54.6 $54.6

$13.84 €12.40

294.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.2 $86.2

$33.70 €30.20

155.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$252 $252

$51.5 €46.16

389.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.65 $14.65

$10.99 €9.85

33.30%

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

$1,806 $1,806

$917 €821

96.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K $30.3K

$16.5K €14.8K

83.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 $56.9

$87.0 €78.0

-34.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 $37.57

$38.51 €34.51

-2.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 $81.3

$106 €94.8

-23.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 $98.8

$120 €107

-17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,497 $2,497

$1,699 €1,523

46.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,355 €1,214

86.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,433 $5,433

$2,603 €2,332

108.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 $5,088

$2,062 €1,848

146.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,449 $5,449

$2,211 €1,981

146.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.28

102.44%

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

Last update for Waltham, MA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waltham, MA

$2.5K 59%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 46.3% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waltham, MA

$464 10.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 50.9% $237

Groceries & Markets

Waltham, MA

$455 10.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 29.3% $133

Eating Out

Waltham, MA

$359 8.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 25.3% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Waltham, MA

$281 6.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 73.9% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Waltham, MA

$124 2.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 27.9% $34

Getting Around

Waltham, MA

$70 * 1.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 30.8% $22

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 $2,497 in Waltham, MA and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waltham, MA pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $96 in Waltham, MA vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $455 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waltham, MA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

6 h ahead of Waltham, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,636

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

Waltham, MA Barcelona 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Waltham, MA
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

Waltham, MA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,278 in Waltham, MA and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Waltham, MA is about 2.5 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: $2,497 in Waltham, MA versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,806 in Waltham, MA 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 41% higher in Waltham, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $4,278 in Waltham, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Waltham, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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, Waltham, MA and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Waltham, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.