Cost of Living · ES vs US
🇪🇸 Barcelona vs 🇺🇸 New York: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,382 in Spain vs $2,410 in United States — 74.4% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in United States
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 19.76%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 19.77%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 19.78%
Closest to Spain prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +88.02%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +88.02%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +88.02%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Spain | United States | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $931 | $1,750 | +88.02% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $745 | $1,400 | +88.02% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,702 | $3,200 | +88.02% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.96 | $18.00 | +64.23% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $45.67 | $75.00 | +64.22% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.01 | $11.00 | +56.92% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.77 | $1.10 | +42.86% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.23 | $3.20 | +43.5% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.37 | $3.40 | +43.46% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.97 | $10.00 | +43.47% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.79 | $4.00 | +43.37% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.35 | $4.80 | +43.28% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.37 | $12.00 | +43.37% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.39 | $2.00 | +43.88% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.65 | $6.00 | +64.38% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.68 | $8.00 | +19.76% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.04 | $5.00 | +64.47% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.60 | $2.30 | +43.75% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $41.41 | $65.00 | +56.97% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.75 | $2.75 | +57.14% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.44 | $4.00 | +63.93% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.10 | $1.80 | +63.64% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.79 | $0.95 | +20.25% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $127 | $200 | +56.99% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $44.59 | $70.00 | +56.99% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $28.67 | $45.00 | +56.96% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $30.45 | $50.00 | +64.2% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.52 | $14.00 | +64.32% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.27 | $30.00 | +64.2% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $45.92 | $55.00 | +19.77% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $75.14 | $90.00 | +19.78% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $152 | $250 | +64.23% |
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 more expensive is United States than Spain?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,410 in United States versus $1,382 in Spain — 74.4% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in United States?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $6.00 in United States, versus about $3.65 in Spain.
- How much is rent in United States compared to Spain?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,750/month in United States versus $931/month in Spain (+88.02%). 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.