Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Denver, CO

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,151 in Denver, CO, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
151

Cost of Living Index in Denver, CO
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Denver, CO Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Denver, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,151

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Denver, CO

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,151 in Denver, CO.

Barcelona $2,453
Denver, CO $3,151

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,582 in Denver, CO.

Barcelona $3,509
Denver, CO $4,582

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $6,013 in Denver, CO.

Barcelona $4,564
Denver, CO $6,013

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 22% less than in Denver, CO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Denver, CO 132% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$19.86 $19.86

-11.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$84.7 $84.7

-20.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.95 $11.95

13.22%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$6.13 $6.13

-47.96%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.94 $2.94

-1.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.30 $2.30

-17.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.10 $7.10

-43.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$7.83 $7.83

-42.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.12 $1.12

16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$5.58 $5.58

-63.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$7.33 $7.33

-74.76%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.11 $5.11

-5.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$16.37 $16.37

2.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$17.22 $17.22

-47.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$18.55 $18.55

5.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$5.21 $5.21

-42.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.10 $2.10

-3.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.92 $4.92

-45.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$5.30 $5.30

-47.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.66 $2.66

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.82 $2.82

-26.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.38 $2.38

-38.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.43 $2.43

-61.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$10.76 $10.76

-36.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$18.72 $18.72

-57.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.71 $2.71

-47.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.58 $3.58

-29.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.80 $2.80

12.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$88.3 $88.3

-71.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.55 $3.55

-15.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.79 $1.79

-16.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$29.56 $29.56

12.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.06 $1.06

69.81%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$30.0K $30.0K

10.48%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.4K $26.4K

20.30%

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

$180 €162

$166 $166

8.54%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$75.5 $75.5

-81.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$69.2 $69.2

-51.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$58.2 $58.2

-11.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$25.43 $25.43

-37.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.02 $15.02

-26.83%

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

$917 €821

$2,293 $2,293

-60.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$33.6K $33.6K

-50.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$70.9 $70.9

22.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$45.11 $45.11

-14.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$104 $104

2.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$134 $134

-10.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,972 $1,972

-13.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,637 $1,637

-17.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$3,367 $3,367

-22.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,592 $2,592

-20.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,506 $5,506

25.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$3,491 $3,491

46.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,947 $4,947

-55.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.9

-52.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Denver, CO: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Denver, CO

$1.6K 52% 20.8% $282

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Denver, CO

$503 16% 56.2% $181

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Denver, CO

$340 10.8% 27.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Denver, CO

$311 9.9% 36.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Denver, CO

$159 5.1% 0.7% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Denver, CO

$88 2.8% 20% $15

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Denver, CO

$112 3.6% 131% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,972 in Denver, CO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denver, CO pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $85 in Denver, CO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $503 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Denver, CO

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

19:33 7:33 PM

8 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

715,522

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Denver, CO 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Denver, CO

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 Denver, CO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $3,151 in Denver, CO, so Barcelona is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,972 in Denver, CO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,293 in Denver, CO. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Denver, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,151 in Denver, CO, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Denver, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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 Denver, CO are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Denver, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.