Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, LA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria, LA: $2,082 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, LA
Learn more

Alexandria, LA Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Alexandria, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,082

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,082 in Alexandria, LA versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Alexandria, LA $2,082
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,933 in Alexandria, LA versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Alexandria, LA $2,933
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,783 in Alexandria, LA versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Alexandria, LA $3,783
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Alexandria, LA costs roughly 13% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alexandria, LA 54% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.12 $16.12

$17.94 €15.96

-10.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.2 $51.2

$68.1 €60.5

-24.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.72 $9.72

$13.28 €11.81

-26.81%

Cappuccino

$5.30 $5.30

$3.25 €2.89

63.08%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$3.01 €2.67

-17.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.87 €1.66

14.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.85 €3.42

54.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$4.48 €3.98

82.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.29 €1.15

3.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.04 €1.81

-17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$1.72 €1.53

253.49%

Eggs

$5.51 $5.51

$4.77 €4.24

15.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 $8.97

$16.77 €14.92

-46.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$8.93 €7.94

-27.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.67 $15.67

$19.88 €17.68

-21.18%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.98 €2.65

72.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.03 €1.80

-33.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.73 €2.43

95.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$2.68 €2.38

102.99%

Potato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.10 €1.87

107.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.08 €1.85

7.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.45 €1.29

57.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.89 €0.79

195.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.89 $8.89

$6.94 €6.17

28.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.03 $17.03

$7.78 €6.92

118.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.45 €1.29

75.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.57 €2.29

51.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.12 €2.77

14.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.44 €1.28

5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.46 $34.46

$33.50 €29.80

2.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.79 €1.59

-58.66%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$34.6K €30.8K

3.73%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$30.1K €26.7K

-15.13%

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

$186 $186

$178 €158

4.49%

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

$70.7 $70.7

$13.32 €11.85

430.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.0 $73.0

$34.88 €31.03

109.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 $12.58

$11.06 €9.84

13.74%

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

$1,577 $1,577

$957 €851

64.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$16.6K €14.7K

-39.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$88.2 €78.4

-34.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.48 $42.48

$39.49 €35.12

7.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 $87.3

$103 €91.5

-15.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$121 €108

0.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 $936

$1,653 €1,470

-43.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$913 $913

$1,302 €1,158

-29.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 $1,454

$2,557 €2,275

-43.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 $1,318

$1,915 €1,703

-31.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 $1,266

$7,286 €6,481

-82.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,271 $1,271

$5,080 €4,519

-74.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 $2,989

$2,281 €2,029

31.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

3.28

103.05%

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

Last update for Alexandria, LA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria, LA

$913 43.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 42.6% $389

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria, LA

$378 18.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 15.2% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria, LA

$330 15.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 31.4% $103

Eating Out

Alexandria, LA

$286 13.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 5.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria, LA

$139 6.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 13.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria, LA

$25 * 1.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 200% $50

Getting Around

Alexandria, LA

$11 * 0.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 325% $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 $936 in Alexandria, LA and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, LA pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51.0 in Alexandria, LA vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $378 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alexandria, LA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

7 h ahead of Alexandria, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,035

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alexandria, LA Barcelona 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria, LA
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

Alexandria, LA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria, LA is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Alexandria, LA, 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: $936 in Alexandria, LA versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,082 per month in Alexandria, LA versus $2,399 in Barcelona – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,082 in Alexandria, LA versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Alexandria, LA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria, LA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Alexandria, LA is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Alexandria, LA 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 Alexandria, LA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.