Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Auburn, AL

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.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
98

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

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Auburn, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,013

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Auburn, AL

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 Auburn, AL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Barcelona is roughly 18% more expensive than in Auburn, AL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$13.18 $13.18

35.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$47.90 $47.90

38.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.60 $10.60

29.15%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.11 $5.11

-40.12%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.44 $2.44

25.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.72 $1.72

12.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.97 $4.97

-22.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.12 $6.12

-24.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.09 $1.09

19.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.64 $3.64

-42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$5.53 $5.53

-66.91%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.28 $4.28

7.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$11.81 $11.81

46.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$6.21 $6.21

49.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$10.76 $10.76

84.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.99 $4.99

-39.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.19 $1.19

70.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.48 $2.48

6.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.86 $2.86

0.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.85 $1.85

16.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.20 $2.20

-2.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.00 $2.00

-26.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.85 $1.85

-52.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$6.67 $6.67

3.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$12.42 $12.42

-36.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.68 $1.68

-17.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$5.11 $5.11

-48.53%

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)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.78 $0.78

138.46%

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)

$31.7K €28.2K

$35.5K $35.5K

-10.71%

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

$183 €163

$207 $207

-11.86%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$54.6 $54.6

-75.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$64.1 $64.1

-48.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$64.5 $64.5

-15.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.19 $15.19

-26.07%

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)

$86.0 €76.5

$49.99 $49.99

72.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$48.26 $48.26

-18.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$67.9 $67.9

52.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$65.5 $65.5

81.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,288 $1,288

31.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$910 $910

40.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,090 $2,090

23.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,592 $1,592

20.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,054 $2,054

254.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,059 $2,059

143.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$4,356 $4,356

-48.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.39

-48.67%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Auburn, AL: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Auburn, AL

$910 45.2% 28.7% $366

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Auburn, AL

$325 16.2% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Auburn, AL

$252 12.5% 6.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Auburn, AL

$326 16.2% 42.2% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Auburn, AL

$104 5.2% 33.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Auburn, AL

$95 4.7% 23% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Auburn, AL

- * 0% 100%

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 $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,288 in Auburn, AL. 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $48.00 in Auburn, AL. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Auburn, AL

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

76,143

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Barcelona
Auburn, AL

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 Auburn, AL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Auburn, AL. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,288 in Auburn, AL. 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 $2,381 per month in Barcelona versus $2,013 in Auburn, AL – 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, Barcelona and Auburn, AL 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.