Cost of Living · US vs ES
🇺🇸 New York vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,410 in United States vs $1,382 in Spain — 42.66% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -46.81%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -46.81%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -46.81%
Closest to United States prices
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -16.5%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -16.51%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -16.51%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | United States | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,750 | $931 (860 EUR) | -46.81% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,400 | $745 (688 EUR) | -46.81% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $3,200 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | -46.81% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $18.00 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | -39.11% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $75.00 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | -39.11% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $11.00 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | -36.27% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $1.10 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | -30% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $3.20 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | -30.31% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $3.40 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | -30.29% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $10.00 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | -30.3% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $4.00 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | -30.25% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.80 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | -30.21% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $12.00 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | -30.25% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $2.00 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | -30.5% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $6.00 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | -39.17% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $8.00 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | -16.5% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $5.00 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | -39.2% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.30 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | -30.43% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $65.00 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | -36.29% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.75 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | -36.36% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $4.00 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | -39% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.80 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | -38.89% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.95 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | -16.84% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $200 | $127 (118 EUR) | -36.3% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $70.00 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | -36.3% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $45.00 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | -36.29% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $50.00 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | -39.1% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $14.00 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | -39.14% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $30.00 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | -39.1% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $55.00 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | -16.51% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $90.00 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | -16.51% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $250 | $152 (141 EUR) | -39.11% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Spain than United States?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $2,410 in United States — 42.66% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $6.00 in United States.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to United States?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $1,750/month in United States (-46.81%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.