Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Brownsville, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Brownsville, TX: $2,057 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Brownsville, TX
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Brownsville, TX Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Brownsville, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,057 in Brownsville, TX.

Barcelona $2,399
Brownsville, TX $2,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,104 in Brownsville, TX.

Barcelona $3,410
Brownsville, TX $3,104

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,150 in Brownsville, TX.

Barcelona $4,421
Brownsville, TX $4,150

Living in Barcelona is roughly 17% more expensive than in Brownsville, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Brownsville, TX 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$19.82 $19.82

-9.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$73.6 $73.6

-7.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$11.31 $11.31

17.42%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$5.47 $5.47

-40.59%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.70 $2.70

11.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.97 $1.97

-5.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$6.05 $6.05

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$7.31 $7.31

-38.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.89 $0.89

44.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.19 $2.19

-6.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$4.27 $4.27

-59.72%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$2.83 $2.83

68.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$9.46 $9.46

77.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$11.74 $11.74

-23.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$16.61 $16.61

19.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$4.89 $4.89

-39.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.61 $1.61

26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$4.28 $4.28

-36.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$4.74 $4.74

-43.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.78 $2.78

-24.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.00 $3.00

-30.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.09 $2.09

-30.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$2.21 $2.21

-59.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$9.05 $9.05

-23.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$14.57 $14.57

-46.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.06 $2.06

-29.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.39 $3.39

-24.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.78 $1.78

67.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.94 $2.94

6.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.71 $1.71

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$32.81 $32.81

2.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.85 $0.85

110.59%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$31.1K $31.1K

11.39%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$24.8K $24.8K

21.26%

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

$178 €158

$201 $201

-11.52%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$74.4 $74.4

-82.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$77.8 $77.8

-55.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$41.21 $41.21

29.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$14.55 $14.55

-23.99%

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

$957 €851

$1,400 $1,400

-31.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$22.4K $22.4K

-25.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$55.7 $55.7

58.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$38.23 $38.23

3.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$87.2 $87.2

17.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$109 $109

11.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$958 $958

72.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$796 $796

63.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,694 $1,694

50.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,396 $1,396

37.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,858 $1,858

292.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,819 $1,819

179.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$3,198 $3,198

-28.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.76

-51.48%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Brownsville, TX: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Brownsville, TX

$796 38.7% 38.8% $505

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Brownsville, TX

$366 17.8% 14.5% $46

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Brownsville, TX

$322 15.6% 19.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Brownsville, TX

$353 17.2% 56.3% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Brownsville, TX

$131 6.4% 17.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Brownsville, TX

$70 3.4% 6.7% $5.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Brownsville, TX

$19 * 0.9% 60.8% $29

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 $1,653 in Barcelona and $958 in Brownsville, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brownsville, TX pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $74.0 in Brownsville, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $366 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

186,738

💱 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 Brownsville, TX 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Brownsville, TX

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 Brownsville, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Brownsville, TX differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,057 including rent). Brownsville, TX is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Brownsville, TX. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $958 in Brownsville, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,400 in Brownsville, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brownsville, TX – a meal for two runs $74.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,057 in Brownsville, TX versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Brownsville, TX but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Brownsville, TX 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 Brownsville, TX 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 Brownsville, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.