Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wausau, WI and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Wausau, WI: $1,756 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Wausau, WI
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Wausau, WI Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Wausau, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,756

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,756 in Wausau, WI versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Wausau, WI $1,756
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,748 in Wausau, WI versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Wausau, WI $2,748
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,740 in Wausau, WI versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Wausau, WI $3,740
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Wausau, WI costs roughly 26% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wausau, WI 30% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 $20.20

$17.89 €15.92

12.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$66.2 €58.9

12.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.58 $8.58

$13.69 €12.18

-37.33%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$3.06 €2.72

63.73%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$3.07 €2.73

-7.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.94 €1.73

4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 $5.62

$3.87 €3.44

45.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 $5.60

$4.61 €4.10

21.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.30 €1.16

-36.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.10 €1.87

31.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.83 €1.62

190.16%

Eggs

$4.44 $4.44

$4.62 €4.11

-3.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$17.36 €15.44

-50.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$9.28 €8.25

-30.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 $13.53

$19.83 €17.64

-31.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.01 €2.68

37.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.03 €1.81

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.65 €2.36

44.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.87 €2.55

43.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.16 €1.92

-17.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.15 €1.91

13.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.47 €1.31

50.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.88 €0.79

17.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 $8.35

$6.93 €6.16

20.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.96 $8.96

$7.83 €6.96

14.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.39 €1.24

42.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.63 €2.34

-15.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.00 €2.66

-9.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.44 €1.28

12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.12 $21.12

$33.20 €29.53

-36.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.86 €1.65

-56.45%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$32.3K €28.8K

3.60%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$31.7K €28.2K

-19.06%

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

$160 $160

$183 €163

-12.49%

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

$66.5 $66.5

$13.61 €12.11

388.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$32.93 €29.29

116.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.10 $30.10

$54.7 €48.65

-44.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 $6.03

$11.23 €9.99

-46.30%

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

$1,855 $1,855

$954 €849

94.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$16.6K €14.8K

48.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.25 $25.25

$86.0 €76.5

-70.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.16 $40.16

$39.11 €34.78

2.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 $64.0

$104 €92.2

-38.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 $84.8

$119 €106

-28.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 $939

$1,695 €1,508

-44.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 $699

$1,276 €1,135

-45.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 $1,548

$2,576 €2,291

-39.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 $1,361

$1,922 €1,710

-29.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,774 $1,774

$7,281 €6,477

-75.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,809 $1,809

$5,010 €4,456

-63.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,488 $3,488

$2,227 €1,981

56.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

3.28

102.74%

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

Last update for Wausau, 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

Wausau, WI

$699 39.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 82.5% $577

Eating Out

Wausau, WI

$306 17.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 12% $37

Groceries & Markets

Wausau, WI

$303 17.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 7.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wausau, WI

$298 17%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 23% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Wausau, WI

$96 5.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 62.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Wausau, WI

$42 2.4%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 83% $35

Getting Around

Wausau, WI

$11 * 0.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 336% $36

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 $939 in Wausau, WI and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wausau, WI pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $75.0 in Wausau, WI vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $325, with Wausau, WI cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wausau, WI

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

06:48 6:48 AM

7 h ahead of Wausau, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,435

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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Between locations

Wausau, WI Barcelona 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Wausau, 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

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

Wausau, WI and Barcelona differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,756 vs $2,381 including rent). Wausau, WI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Wausau, 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: $939 in Wausau, WI versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,855 in Wausau, WI 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 Wausau, WI – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,756 in Wausau, WI versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wausau, WI but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Wausau, 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, Wausau, 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 Wausau, WI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.