Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Winston-Salem, NC and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Winston-Salem, NC and in Barcelona: $2,428 and $2,453 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Winston-Salem, NC
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Winston-Salem, NC Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Winston-Salem, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,428

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,428 in Winston-Salem, NC versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Winston-Salem, NC $2,428
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,722 in Winston-Salem, NC versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Winston-Salem, NC $3,722
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,016 in Winston-Salem, NC versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Winston-Salem, NC $5,016
Barcelona $4,564

Monthly costs are close between Winston-Salem, NC and Barcelona; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Winston-Salem, NC 78% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.94 $22.94

$17.59 €15.76

30.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$67.5 €60.5

17.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$13.53 €12.12

-24.69%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$3.19 €2.86

68.03%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$2.91 €2.61

-1.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.89 €1.70

3.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$4.01 €3.59

28.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 $6.13

$4.53 €4.06

35.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.31 €1.17

10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.02 €1.81

135.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.80 $9.80

$1.85 €1.66

429.73%

Eggs

$5.46 $5.46

$4.83 €4.33

13.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 $18.33

$16.74 €15.00

9.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.95 $13.95

$9.12 €8.17

52.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.68 $26.68

$19.64 €17.60

35.85%

Apples (1kg)

$7.78 $7.78

$2.98 €2.67

161.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.02 €1.81

53.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.03 $7.03

$2.70 €2.42

160.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.42 $7.42

$2.80 €2.51

165.00%

Potato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.09 €1.87

134.93%

Onion (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.07 €1.85

191.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.46 €1.31

89.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$0.94 €0.84

276.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.95 $8.95

$6.87 €6.16

30.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.82 $14.82

$7.89 €7.07

87.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.41 €1.26

14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.54 €2.27

81.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$3.14 €2.82

-67.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 $29.70

$25.45 €22.80

16.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.85 $6.85

$2.99 €2.68

129.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.49 €1.34

50.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.85 $14.85

$33.37 €29.91

-55.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.80 €1.61

-47.78%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$33.2K €29.7K

-10.56%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$31.7K €28.4K

-17.44%

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

$176 $176

$180 €162

-2.65%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$13.84 €12.40

273.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 $62.9

$33.70 €30.20

86.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.52 $35.52

$51.5 €46.16

-31.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.77 $15.77

$15.96 €14.30

-1.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$10.99 €9.85

7.28%

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

$1,279 $1,279

$917 €821

39.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,829 $9,829

$16.5K €14.8K

-40.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.64 $38.64

$87.0 €78.0

-55.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.00 $31.00

$38.51 €34.51

-19.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 $84.4

$106 €94.8

-20.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 $95.5

$120 €107

-20.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 $1,501

$1,699 €1,523

-11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 $1,001

$1,355 €1,214

-26.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,667 $2,667

$2,603 €2,332

2.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 $1,761

$2,062 €1,848

-14.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,103 $5,103

$6,915 €6,196

-26.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,693 $2,693

$5,128 €4,595

-47.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,714 $3,714

$2,211 €1,981

68.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

3.28

103.66%

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

Last update for Winston-Salem, 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

Winston-Salem, NC

$1K 41.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 35.4% $354

Groceries & Markets

Winston-Salem, NC

$578 23.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 44.3% $256

Eating Out

Winston-Salem, NC

$336 13.8%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 20.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Winston-Salem, NC

$290 12%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 21.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Winston-Salem, NC

$112 4.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 40.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Winston-Salem, NC

$59 2.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 24.4% $14

Getting Around

Winston-Salem, NC

$52 2.1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 6.4% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,501 in Winston-Salem, NC and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Winston-Salem, NC pays 68% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Winston-Salem, NC vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $578 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Winston-Salem, NC

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

06:11 6:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

6 h ahead of Winston-Salem, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,218

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

Winston-Salem, NC Barcelona 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Winston-Salem, 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

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

Average pay runs 68% higher in Winston-Salem, 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: $1,501 in Winston-Salem, NC versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,279 in Winston-Salem, NC versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $79 in Winston-Salem, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Winston-Salem, NC gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.