Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Aguascalientes

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,113 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Aguascalientes
Learn more

Aguascalientes Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Aguascalientes

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Aguascalientes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,113 in Aguascalientes.

Barcelona $2,405
Aguascalientes $1,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $1,744 in Aguascalientes.

Barcelona $3,477
Aguascalientes $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $2,375 in Aguascalientes.

Barcelona $4,550
Aguascalientes $2,375

Living in Barcelona is roughly 116% more expensive than in Aguascalientes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 79% above, Aguascalientes is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$12.50 MX$229

43.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$44.72 MX$821

50.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$7.00 MX$129

91.00%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$3.86 MX$70.9

-13.47%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$1.64 MX$30.09

79.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.21 MX$22.21

57.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$2.18 MX$40.03

77.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$3.26 MX$59.8

40.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.47 MX$26.98

-13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.22 MX$40.72

-11.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.56 MX$28.69

12.18%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$2.45 MX$45.02

99.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$8.03 MX$147

117.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$8.61 MX$158

5.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$11.47 MX$211

75.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.32 MX$42.51

32.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.33 MX$24.38

52.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.54 MX$28.29

68.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.76 MX$32.37

53.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.62 MX$29.66

32.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.36 MX$25.03

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.99 MX$18.21

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.83 MX$15.18

12.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$4.38 MX$80.4

61.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$8.88 MX$163

-14.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.81 MX$33.32

-17.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.42 MX$62.8

-20.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.59 MX$10.78

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$24.33 MX$447

6.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$1.22 MX$22.36

156.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.16 MX$21.37

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$10.96 MX$201

211.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.54 MX$28.21

16.23%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$21.7K MX$397.6K

60.19%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$23.9K MX$438.9K

26.73%

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

$181 €161

$55.6 MX$1,021

225.02%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$24.71 MX$454

-45.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$24.50 MX$450

43.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$31.42 MX$577

69.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$22.39 MX$411

-28.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$5.16 MX$94.7

120.35%

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

$939 €838

$220 MX$4,039

326.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$2,916 MX$53.5K

466.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$55.6 MX$1,021

58.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$37.98 MX$697

4.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$104 MX$1,916

-0.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$69.9 MX$1,284

70.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$516 MX$9,475

228.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$361 MX$6,620

260.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$810 MX$14.9K

217.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$642 MX$11.8K

202.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$1,183 MX$21.7K

531.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$1,176 MX$21.6K

341.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$884 MX$16.2K

160.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

11.2

-70.71%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Aguascalientes: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Aguascalientes

$361 32.7% 72.3% $940

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Aguascalientes

$244 22.2% 24.9% $81

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Aguascalientes

$196 17.8% 27.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Aguascalientes

$105 9.5% 54.3% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Aguascalientes

$121 10.9% 23.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Aguascalientes

$42 3.8% 45% $34

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Aguascalientes

$34 3.1% 29.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $516 in Aguascalientes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 160% 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: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $45.00 in Aguascalientes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $244 per month, with Aguascalientes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇽 Aguascalientes

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

20:25 8:25 PM

8 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

863,893

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Barcelona Aguascalientes 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Aguascalientes

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

Barcelona vs Aguascalientes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguascalientes is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 116% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 160% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $516 in Aguascalientes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 6% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $220 in Aguascalientes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,113 in Aguascalientes versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Aguascalientes but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Aguascalientes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Aguascalientes 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, Barcelona and Aguascalientes 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 Aguascalientes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.