Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auburn, AL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Auburn, AL: $2,013 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Auburn, AL
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Auburn, AL Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Auburn, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,013

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,013 in Auburn, AL versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Auburn, AL $2,013
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,941 in Auburn, AL versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Auburn, AL $2,941
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,870 in Auburn, AL versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Auburn, AL $3,870
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Auburn, AL costs roughly 15% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Auburn, AL 49% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.18 $13.18

$17.89 €15.92

-26.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.90 $47.90

$66.2 €58.9

-27.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 $10.60

$13.69 €12.18

-22.57%

Cappuccino

$5.11 $5.11

$3.06 €2.72

66.99%

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

$2.44 $2.44

$3.07 €2.73

-20.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.94 €1.73

-11.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.87 €3.44

28.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 $6.12

$4.61 €4.10

32.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.30 €1.16

-16.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.10 €1.87

73.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$1.83 €1.62

202.19%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$4.62 €4.11

-7.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 $11.81

$17.36 €15.44

-31.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$9.28 €8.25

-33.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 $10.76

$19.83 €17.64

-45.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.01 €2.68

65.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.03 €1.81

-41.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.65 €2.36

-6.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.87 €2.55

-0.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.16 €1.92

-14.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.15 €1.91

2.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.47 €1.31

36.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.88 €0.79

110.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.67 $6.67

$6.93 €6.16

-3.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 $12.42

$7.83 €6.96

58.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.39 €1.24

20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.63 €2.34

94.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.86 €1.65

-58.06%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$31.7K €28.2K

12.00%

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

$207 $207

$183 €163

13.46%

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

$54.6 $54.6

$13.61 €12.11

300.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$32.93 €29.29

94.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.5 $64.5

$54.7 €48.65

17.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 $15.19

$11.23 €9.99

35.26%

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

$954 €849

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.99 $49.99

$86.0 €76.5

-41.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.26 $48.26

$39.11 €34.78

23.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 $67.9

$104 €92.2

-34.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.5 $65.5

$119 €106

-44.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 $1,288

$1,695 €1,508

-24.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$910 $910

$1,276 €1,135

-28.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 $2,090

$2,576 €2,291

-18.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 $1,592

$1,922 €1,710

-17.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,054 $2,054

$7,281 €6,477

-71.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,059 $2,059

$5,010 €4,456

-58.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,356 $4,356

$2,227 €1,981

95.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

3.28

94.82%

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

Last update for Auburn, AL: 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

Auburn, AL

$910 45.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 40.2% $366

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auburn, AL

$326 16.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 29.7% $97

Groceries & Markets

Auburn, AL

$325 16.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Auburn, AL

$252 12.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 6.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Auburn, AL

$104 5.2%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 50% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Auburn, AL

$95 4.7%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 18.7% $18

Getting Around

Auburn, AL

- * 0%

Barcelona

$47 2%

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 $1,288 in Auburn, AL and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auburn, AL pays 96% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Auburn, AL vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $325 per month, with Auburn, AL cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Auburn, AL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

15:24 3:24 PM

7 h ahead of Auburn, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,143

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

Auburn, AL Barcelona 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Auburn, AL
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

Auburn, AL vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Auburn, AL and Barcelona differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,013 vs $2,381 including rent). Auburn, AL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 96% higher in Auburn, AL, 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: $1,288 in Auburn, AL versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Auburn, AL – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,013 per month in Auburn, AL versus $2,381 in Barcelona – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,013 in Auburn, AL versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Auburn, AL but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Auburn, AL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Auburn, AL 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 Auburn, AL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.