Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and College Station, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in College Station, TX: $2,100 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in College Station, 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 College Station, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,100 in College Station, TX.

Barcelona $2,381
College Station, TX $2,100

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,153 in College Station, TX.

Barcelona $3,406
College Station, TX $3,153

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,207 in College Station, TX.

Barcelona $4,431
College Station, TX $4,207

Living in Barcelona is roughly 13% more expensive than in College Station, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, College Station, TX 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.98 $14.98

19.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$77.9 $77.9

-15.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$12.08 $12.08

13.33%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.39 $5.39

-43.23%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.96 $2.96

3.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.80 $1.80

7.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.03 $5.03

-23.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$7.36 $7.36

-37.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.75 $0.75

73.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.15 $3.15

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.79 $3.79

-51.72%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.92 $2.92

58.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$11.82 $11.82

46.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.81 $9.81

-5.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$12.96 $12.96

53.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$6.33 $6.33

-52.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.62 $1.62

25.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$6.43 $6.43

-58.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.94 $4.94

-41.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$4.07 $4.07

-46.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.98 $2.98

-27.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.76 $1.76

-16.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.80 $1.80

-51.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$9.89 $9.89

-29.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$13.84 $13.84

-43.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.71 $1.71

-18.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.86 $3.86

-31.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.02 $1.02

185.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$20.29 $20.29

25.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$10.08 $10.08

-70.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.90 $1.90

-24.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$59.1 $59.1

-43.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.92 $0.92

102.17%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$27.6K $27.6K

17.31%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$26.2K $26.2K

20.80%

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

$183 €163

$180 $180

1.34%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$40.02 $40.02

-65.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$55.4 $55.4

-40.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$24.85 $24.85

120.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$17.24 $17.24

-4.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$11.16 $11.16

0.63%

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

$954 €849

$761 $761

25.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$18.1K $18.1K

-8.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$59.4 $59.4

44.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$38.19 $38.19

2.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$82.8 $82.8

25.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$123 $123

-3.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,131 $1,131

49.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$945 $945

35.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,946 $1,946

32.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,585 $1,585

21.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,185 $2,185

233.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,996 $1,996

150.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$4,396 $4,396

-49.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.57

-50.08%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for College Station, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

College Station, TX

$945 45% 25.9% $331

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

College Station, TX

$372 17.7% 14.4% $47

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

College Station, TX

$280 13.3% 3.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

College Station, TX

$276 13.1% 20.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

College Station, TX

$136 6.5% 12.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

College Station, TX

$47 2.3% 38.9% $30

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

College Station, TX

$44 2.1% 7.1% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,131 in College Station, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Station, TX pays 97% 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 $78.0 in College Station, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $372 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

07:25 7:25 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

120,511

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona College Station, TX 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
College Station, 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 College Station, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and College Station, TX differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,100 including rent). College Station, TX is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 97% lower in College Station, 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,131 in College Station, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $761 in College Station, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,100 in College Station, TX versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in College Station, TX but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes College Station, 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 College Station, 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 College Station, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.