Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukesha, WI and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Waukesha, WI: $2,030 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Waukesha, WI
Learn more

Waukesha, WI Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Waukesha, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,030

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,030 in Waukesha, WI versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Waukesha, WI $2,030
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,967 in Waukesha, WI versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Waukesha, WI $2,967
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,905 in Waukesha, WI versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Waukesha, WI $3,905
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Waukesha, WI costs roughly 15% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waukesha, WI 50% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.70 $16.70

$17.89 €15.92

-6.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$66.2 €58.9

15.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 $10.99

$13.69 €12.18

-19.72%

Cappuccino

$4.88 $4.88

$3.06 €2.72

59.48%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$3.07 €2.73

-9.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.94 €1.73

1.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.87 €3.44

56.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.61 €4.10

47.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.30 €1.16

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.10 €1.87

61.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.83 €1.62

143.72%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$4.62 €4.11

-22.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$17.36 €15.44

-47.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$9.28 €8.25

21.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.57 $16.57

$19.83 €17.64

-16.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.01 €2.68

75.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.03 €1.81

-15.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.65 €2.36

35.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.87 €2.55

79.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.16 €1.92

-18.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.15 €1.91

21.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.47 €1.31

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.88 €0.79

111.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.39 $8.39

$6.93 €6.16

21.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 $10.90

$7.83 €6.96

39.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.39 €1.24

25.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.63 €2.34

28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.91 €2.59

-29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.0 $50.0

$25.46 €22.64

96.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.00 €2.66

-4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.44 €1.28

13.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.09 $21.09

$33.20 €29.53

-36.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.86 €1.65

-45.16%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-22.87%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$31.7K €28.2K

-20.39%

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

$200 $200

$183 €163

9.65%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$13.61 €12.11

276.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 $60.5

$32.93 €29.29

83.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$54.7 €48.65

-8.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$11.23 €9.99

25.20%

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

$1,472 $1,472

$954 €849

54.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K $24.2K

$16.6K €14.8K

45.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$86.0 €76.5

-38.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 $40.55

$39.11 €34.78

3.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 $89.2

$104 €92.2

-13.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 $76.3

$119 €106

-35.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 $1,006

$1,695 €1,508

-40.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 $805

$1,276 €1,135

-36.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 $1,616

$2,576 €2,291

-37.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 $1,190

$1,922 €1,710

-38.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 $2,430

$7,281 €6,477

-66.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,375 $2,375

$5,010 €4,456

-52.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,340 $4,340

$2,227 €1,981

94.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

3.28

99.09%

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

Last update for Waukesha, WI: 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

Waukesha, WI

$805 39.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 58.6% $471

Groceries & Markets

Waukesha, WI

$361 17.8%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 9.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukesha, WI

$312 15.4%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 26.5% $83

Eating Out

Waukesha, WI

$288 14.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 6.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Waukesha, WI

$117 5.8%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 33.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Waukesha, WI

$78 3.9%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 1.6% $1.3

Getting Around

Waukesha, WI

$69 3.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 31.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,006 in Waukesha, WI and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waukesha, WI pays 95% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $76.0 in Waukesha, WI vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukesha, WI

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

05:57 5:57 AM

7 h ahead of Waukesha, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,158

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waukesha, WI Barcelona 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Waukesha, WI
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

Waukesha, WI vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waukesha, WI and Barcelona differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,030 vs $2,381 including rent). Waukesha, WI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 95% higher in Waukesha, WI, 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: $1,006 in Waukesha, WI versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,472 in Waukesha, WI versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,030 in Waukesha, WI versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Waukesha, WI but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Waukesha, WI 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, Waukesha, WI 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 Waukesha, WI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.