Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Auburn, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,589 in Auburn, WA, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Auburn, WA
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Auburn, WA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Auburn, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,381 per month in Barcelona vs $2,589 in Auburn, WA, rent included.

Barcelona $2,381
Auburn, WA $2,589

A couple spends around $3,406 per month in Barcelona vs $4,092 in Auburn, WA, rent included.

Barcelona $3,406
Auburn, WA $4,092

A family of three spends $4,431 per month in Barcelona vs $5,595 in Auburn, WA, rent included.

Barcelona $4,431
Auburn, WA $5,595

Barcelona is about 8% cheaper than Auburn, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Barcelona and Auburn, WA sit above the global median – Barcelona by 76%, Auburn, WA by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$19.69 $19.69

-9.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$96.2 $96.2

-31.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.71 $11.71

16.91%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.46 $4.46

-31.39%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.05 $2.05

49.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.01 $2.01

-3.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.93 $4.93

-21.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$7.18 $7.18

-35.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.89 $0.89

46.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.56 $2.56

-17.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.75 $3.75

-51.20%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.04 $3.04

51.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$8.58 $8.58

102.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$13.75 $13.75

-32.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$18.56 $18.56

6.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.75 $4.75

-36.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.80 $1.80

12.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.81 $3.81

-30.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.15 $4.15

-30.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.11 $3.11

-30.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.26 $3.26

-34.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.83 $1.83

-19.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.11 $2.11

-58.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$10.79 $10.79

-35.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$15.03 $15.03

-47.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.70 $1.70

-18.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.92 $2.92

-9.93%

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

$3.54 $3.54

-15.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.84 $1.84

-21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$50.2 $50.2

-33.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.30 $1.30

43.08%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$25.6K $25.6K

26.31%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$24.5K $24.5K

29.30%

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

$183 €163

$216 $216

-15.58%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$40.51 $40.51

-66.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$79.5 $79.5

-58.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$34.39 $34.39

59.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$14.77 $14.77

-23.97%

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

$954 €849

$1,077 $1,077

-11.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$16.8K $16.8K

-0.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$55.7 $55.7

54.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$46.82 $46.82

-16.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$78.9 $78.9

31.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$81.3 $81.3

45.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,470 $1,470

15.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,381 $1,381

-7.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,298 $2,298

12.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$2,844 $2,844

-32.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$6,864 $6,864

-67.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.59

-50.23%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Auburn, WA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Auburn, WA

$1.4K 53.4% 8.2% $105

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Auburn, WA

$375 14.5% 15.4% $50

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Auburn, WA

$301 11.6% 11.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Auburn, WA

$336 13% 46.7% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Auburn, WA

$118 4.6% 24.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Auburn, WA

$64 2.5% 17.2% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Auburn, WA

$13 * 0.5% 73% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,470 in Auburn, WA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 208% higher in Auburn, WA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Barcelona versus $96.0 in Auburn, WA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $375 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Auburn, WA

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

9 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Auburn, WA 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Auburn, WA

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, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Auburn, WA costs about 9% more than Barcelona, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,571 per month in Barcelona and $3,884 in Auburn, WA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barcelona, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,381 in Barcelona and $2,589 in Auburn, WA. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $954 per month in Barcelona and $1,077 in Auburn, WA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Barcelona, where all-in costs run around $2,381, than in Auburn, WA at $2,589. In Barcelona it covers expenses comfortably, while in Auburn, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Barcelona costs $2,381 versus $2,589 in Auburn, WA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Barcelona. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Auburn, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.