Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Athens, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens, TN: $2,116 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona, Spain
Athens, TN, United States
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Athens, TN
🇺🇸 United States
$2,116
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Athens, TN

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 Athens, TN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,443 per month in Barcelona vs $2,116 in Athens, TN, rent included.

  • Barcelona $2,443
  • Athens, TN $2,116

A couple spends around $3,519 per month in Barcelona vs $3,286 in Athens, TN, rent included.

  • Barcelona $3,519
  • Athens, TN $3,286

A family of three spends $4,595 per month in Barcelona vs $4,457 in Athens, TN, rent included.

  • Barcelona $4,595
  • Athens, TN $4,457

Barcelona costs about 15% more than Athens, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Barcelona and Athens, TN sit above the global median – Barcelona by 81%, Athens, TN by 56%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Athens, TN
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 €15.69
$30.07 $30.07
-41.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €59.9
$108 $108
-37.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.61 €12.09
$11.95 $11.95
13.89%
Cappuccino
$3.10 €2.75
$5.70 $5.70
-45.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.67
$2.94 $2.94
2.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.71
$2.26 $2.26
-14.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 €3.41
$6.52 $6.52
-41.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.87
$7.90 $7.90
-44.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Athens, TN
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.11
$0.94 $0.94
32.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.89
$2.57 $2.57
-17.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$3.93 $3.93
-49.87%
Eggs
$4.76 €4.23
$4.19 $4.19
13.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.07 €15.16
$13.83 $13.83
23.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.96 €7.96
$6.68 $6.68
34.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.65 €18.34
$19.75 $19.75
4.56%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 €2.81
$5.82 $5.82
-45.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.49 $1.49
32.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$5.61 $5.61
-52.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.56
$5.17 $5.17
-44.29%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 €1.83
$3.54 $3.54
-41.81%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$2.66 $2.66
-18.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.36
$2.15 $2.15
-28.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.86
$1.66 $1.66
-41.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.97 €6.19
$6.83 $6.83
2.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.01
$15.29 $15.29
-48.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.26
$3.90 $3.90
-63.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 €2.39
$4.87 $4.87
-44.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Athens, TN
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.31 €2.94
$2.19 $2.19
51.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.61 €22.75
$53.5 $53.5
-52.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 €2.74
$3.41 $3.41
-9.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.32
$1.53 $1.53
-3.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.87 €29.20
$24.47 $24.47
34.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 €1.66
$0.94 $0.94
98.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.3K
$36.1K $36.1K
-8.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.4K
$26.3K $26.3K
21.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Athens, TN
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €162
$221 $221
-17.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.24 €12.65
$74.4 $74.4
-80.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.56 €30.70
$55.7 $55.7
-37.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Athens, TN
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 €45.68
$37.88 $37.88
35.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 €14.55
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.83
$8.21 $8.21
34.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Athens, TN
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$944 €838
$1,784 $1,784
-47.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K €19.8K
$34.8K $34.8K
-35.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Athens, TN
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.7 €77.9
$52.6 $52.6
66.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 €34.44
$45.25 $45.25
-14.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €92.9
$95.9 $95.9
9.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €105
$108 $108
9.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Athens, TN
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 €1,507
$861 $861
97.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 €1,187
$695 $695
92.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,692 €2,391
$1,465 $1,465
83.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,077 €1,845
$1,184 $1,184
75.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,155 €6,356
$2,813 $2,813
154.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,079 €4,512
$2,313 $2,313
119.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Athens, TN
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,241 €1,991
$8,189 $8,189
-72.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.19
6.67
-52.17%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Athens, TN: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Athens, TN
$695 48% $641
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$328
Athens, TN
$392 19.7% $65
Eating Out
Barcelona
$267
Athens, TN
$414 55.1% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$232
Athens, TN
$351 51.4% $119
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$157
Athens, TN
$136 13.6% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Athens, TN
$54 26.2% $19
Getting Around
Barcelona
$49
Athens, TN
$73 48.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,697 in Barcelona versus $861 in Athens, TN. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Athens, TN are about 3.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $108 in Athens, TN. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $392 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇺🇸 Athens, TN
🕒 Local time
19:03 7:03 PM
13:03 1:03 PM
6 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
115,452
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Athens, TN 7,260 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Athens, TN

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 Athens, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Barcelona or Athens, TN?
Barcelona costs about 15% more than Athens, TN, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Barcelona and in Athens, TN?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,664 per month in Barcelona and $3,174 in Athens, TN. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Barcelona or Athens, TN?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Athens, TN, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $861 there versus $1,697 in Barcelona.
How expensive is transport in Barcelona compared to Athens, TN?
Public transport costs about 52% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Barcelona and in Athens, TN?
Kindergarten costs $944 per month in Barcelona and $1,784 in Athens, TN. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Barcelona or in Athens, TN?
$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,116 in Athens, TN. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Barcelona or Athens, TN?
It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,116 in Athens, TN to $2,443 in Barcelona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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