Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilmington, NC and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,876 in Wilmington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Wilmington, NC
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Wilmington, NC Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Wilmington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,876

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,876 in Wilmington, NC versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Wilmington, NC $2,876
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,129 in Wilmington, NC versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Wilmington, NC $4,129
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,382 in Wilmington, NC versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Wilmington, NC $5,382
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Wilmington, NC is roughly 17% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wilmington, NC 111% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$17.59 €15.75

-14.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 $80.1

$67.5 €60.5

18.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 $10.80

$13.53 €12.12

-20.18%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$3.19 €2.86

73.98%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$2.91 €2.61

-13.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.89 €1.70

24.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$4.01 €3.59

28.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 $6.95

$4.53 €4.06

53.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.31 €1.17

-24.43%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.02 €1.81

98.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 $5.84

$1.85 €1.66

215.68%

Eggs

$5.34 $5.34

$4.83 €4.33

10.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$16.74 €14.99

-32.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.42 $14.42

$9.12 €8.17

58.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 $25.47

$19.64 €17.59

29.68%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$2.98 €2.67

114.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.02 €1.81

-12.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$2.70 €2.42

155.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$2.80 €2.51

121.07%

Potato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.09 €1.87

95.69%

Onion (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.07 €1.85

186.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.46 €1.31

64.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$0.94 €0.84

234.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.64 $8.64

$6.87 €6.15

25.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.70 $14.70

$7.89 €7.06

86.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.41 €1.26

43.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 $6.00

$2.54 €2.27

136.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.14 €2.82

-35.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.4 $79.4

$25.45 €22.79

212.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 $7.03

$2.99 €2.68

135.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.49 €1.34

26.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.80 €1.61

-42.78%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.2K €29.7K

-18.37%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$31.7K €28.4K

-17.05%

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

$286 $286

$180 €162

58.76%

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

$55.8 $55.8

$13.84 €12.39

302.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.2 $76.2

$33.70 €30.18

126.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 $56.1

$51.5 €46.13

8.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.08 $4.08

$15.96 €14.29

-74.44%

Cinema Ticket

$14.89 $14.89

$10.99 €9.85

35.49%

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

$1,339 $1,339

$917 €821

46.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 $70.9

$87.0 €77.9

-18.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.96 $41.96

$38.51 €34.49

8.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 $99.6

$106 €94.8

-5.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.8 $68.8

$120 €107

-42.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 $1,640

$1,699 €1,522

-3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 $1,361

$1,355 €1,214

0.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 $2,819

$2,603 €2,331

8.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$2,062 €1,847

2.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,291 $3,291

$6,915 €6,193

-52.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,529 $2,529

$5,128 €4,592

-50.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,936 $3,936

$2,211 €1,980

78.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

3.28

100.30%

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

Last update for Wilmington, NC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilmington, NC

$1.4K 47.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 0.4% $5.3

Groceries & Markets

Wilmington, NC

$501 17.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 35.8% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilmington, NC

$418 14.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 45.5% $190

Eating Out

Wilmington, NC

$279 9.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 3.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Wilmington, NC

$127 4.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 24.8% $31

Getting Around

Wilmington, NC

$104 3.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 53.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Wilmington, NC

$86 3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 14.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,640 in Wilmington, NC and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wilmington, NC pays 78% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Wilmington, NC vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $501 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilmington, NC

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

07:45 7:45 AM

6 h ahead of Wilmington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,826

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

Wilmington, NC Barcelona 6,830 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Wilmington, NC
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

Wilmington, NC vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,876 in Wilmington, NC and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Wilmington, NC, 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: $1,640 in Wilmington, NC versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,339 in Wilmington, NC 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 56% higher in Wilmington, NC. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Wilmington, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.