Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Austin, TX $2,698
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Austin, TX $4,160
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Austin, TX $5,622
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 13% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$17.89 €15.92

15.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$66.2 €58.9

27.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$13.69 €12.18

-11.83%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.06 €2.72

79.08%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$3.07 €2.73

23.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.94 €1.73

27.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.87 €3.44

108.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$4.61 €4.10

92.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.30 €1.16

-14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.10 €1.87

77.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.83 €1.62

84.15%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.62 €4.11

-6.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$17.36 €15.44

-24.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$9.28 €8.25

52.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$19.83 €17.64

-17.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.01 €2.68

51.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.03 €1.81

-28.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.65 €2.36

77.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.87 €2.55

44.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.16 €1.92

19.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.15 €1.91

9.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.47 €1.31

20.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.88 €0.79

143.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$6.93 €6.16

45.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$7.83 €6.96

94.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.39 €1.24

102.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.63 €2.34

30.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.91 €2.59

-47.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$25.46 €22.64

61.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.00 €2.66

-6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.44 €1.28

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$33.20 €29.53

3.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.86 €1.65

-49.46%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$32.3K €28.8K

5.07%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$31.7K €28.2K

-15.58%

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

$223 $223

$183 €163

21.83%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$13.61 €12.11

332.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$32.93 €29.29

114.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$54.7 €48.65

5.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$16.52 €14.70

0.06%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$11.23 €9.99

26.98%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$954 €849

58.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$16.6K €14.8K

25.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$86.0 €76.5

-40.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$39.11 €34.78

12.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$104 €92.2

-16.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$119 €106

-12.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,695 €1,508

14.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,276 €1,135

3.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,576 €2,291

42.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,922 €1,710

33.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$7,281 €6,477

1.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$5,010 €4,456

-37.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$2,227 €1,981

137.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.28

107.01%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: 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

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 3% $40

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 19.9% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 34.9% $123

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 23% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 21.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 10.5% $9.1

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 18.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 137% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

12:13 12:13 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

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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Between locations

Austin, TX Barcelona 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Barcelona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 137% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,381 in Barcelona – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 61% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Barcelona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,381 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Barcelona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.