Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, MN and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria, MN: $2,163 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, MN
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Alexandria, MN Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Alexandria, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,163

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,163 in Alexandria, MN versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Alexandria, MN $2,163
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,319 in Alexandria, MN versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Alexandria, MN $3,319
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,476 in Alexandria, MN versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Alexandria, MN $4,476
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Alexandria, MN costs roughly 9% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alexandria, MN 60% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 $15.29

$17.89 €15.92

-14.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 $59.4

$66.2 €58.9

-10.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 $9.91

$13.69 €12.18

-27.61%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$3.06 €2.72

68.95%

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

$2.01 $2.01

$3.07 €2.73

-34.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.94 €1.73

3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 $5.34

$3.87 €3.44

37.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$4.61 €4.10

59.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.30 €1.16

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.23 $3.23

$2.10 €1.87

53.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.83 €1.62

86.34%

Eggs

$3.06 $3.06

$4.62 €4.11

-33.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 $9.78

$17.36 €15.44

-43.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 $9.38

$9.28 €8.25

1.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 $13.19

$19.83 €17.64

-33.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.01 €2.68

65.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.03 €1.81

-44.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$2.65 €2.36

134.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.87 €2.55

77.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.16 €1.92

81.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.15 €1.91

60.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.47 €1.31

34.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.88 €0.79

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.13 $13.13

$6.93 €6.16

89.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.66 $14.66

$7.83 €6.96

87.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.39 €1.24

23.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.63 €2.34

34.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$125 $125

$25.46 €22.64

391.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.00 €2.66

-14.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.44 €1.28

11.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.89 $30.89

$33.20 €29.53

-6.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.86 €1.65

-45.16%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$32.3K €28.8K

-15.88%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$31.7K €28.2K

-18.90%

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

$230 $230

$183 €163

25.77%

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

$50.8 $50.8

$13.61 €12.11

273.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.6 $64.6

$32.93 €29.29

96.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.6 $75.6

$54.7 €48.65

38.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.63 $49.63

$16.52 €14.70

200.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 $9.86

$11.23 €9.99

-12.20%

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

$1,009 $1,009

$954 €849

5.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K $27.6K

$16.6K €14.8K

66.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.63 $24.63

$86.0 €76.5

-71.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 $24.54

$39.11 €34.78

-37.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.14 $49.14

$104 €92.2

-52.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 $59.3

$119 €106

-50.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 $1,128

$1,695 €1,508

-33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 $887

$1,276 €1,135

-30.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 $2,091

$2,576 €2,291

-18.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 $1,749

$1,922 €1,710

-9.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,843 $2,843

$7,281 €6,477

-60.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,764 $2,764

$5,010 €4,456

-44.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,362 $3,362

$2,227 €1,981

50.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

3.28

92.38%

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

Last update for Alexandria, MN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria, MN

$887 41%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 43.9% $389

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria, MN

$358 16.5%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 9.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria, MN

$345 16%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 33.6% $116

Eating Out

Alexandria, MN

$272 12.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 0.8% $2.1

Getting Around

Alexandria, MN

$136 * 6.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 65.1% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria, MN

$95 4.4%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 19.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria, MN

$71 3.3%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 121% $85

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 $1,128 in Alexandria, MN and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, MN pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Alexandria, MN vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $358 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alexandria, MN

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

07:42 7:42 AM

7 h ahead of Alexandria, MN

🌤 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

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Highest

Between locations

Alexandria, MN Barcelona 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Alexandria, MN wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alexandria, MN the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 51% higher in Alexandria, MN, 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: $1,128 in Alexandria, MN versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,009 in Alexandria, MN versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,163 in Alexandria, MN versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria, MN but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria, MN the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alexandria, MN delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,163 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alexandria, MN hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alexandria, MN 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, MN gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.