Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Emporia, KS

For one person, living is cheaper in Emporia, KS: $1,558 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Emporia, KS
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Emporia, KS Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Emporia, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Emporia, KS

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,558 in Emporia, KS.

Barcelona $2,381
Emporia, KS $1,558

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,497 in Emporia, KS.

Barcelona $3,406
Emporia, KS $2,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,435 in Emporia, KS.

Barcelona $4,431
Emporia, KS $3,435

Living in Barcelona is roughly 53% more expensive than in Emporia, KS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Emporia, KS 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$15.83 $15.83

13.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$75.6 $75.6

-12.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.90 $11.90

15.04%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.45 $4.45

-31.24%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.33 $2.33

31.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.69 $1.69

14.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.05 $5.05

-23.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.06 $6.06

-23.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.88 $0.88

47.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.30 $3.30

-36.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.92 $1.92

-4.69%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.85 $2.85

62.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$8.30 $8.30

109.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.45 $8.45

9.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.40 $14.40

37.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.99 $4.99

-39.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.20 $1.20

69.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.84 $2.84

-6.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.79 $2.79

2.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.64 $1.64

31.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.76 $2.76

-22.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.88 $1.88

-21.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.32 $2.32

-62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$9.13 $9.13

-24.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$9.49 $9.49

-17.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.84 $1.84

-24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.57 $2.57

2.33%

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

$4.91 $4.91

-38.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.82 $1.82

-20.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$34.41 $34.41

-3.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.89 $0.89

108.99%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$27.5K $27.5K

17.39%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.8K $25.8K

22.82%

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

$183 €163

$144 $144

26.60%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$46.93 $46.93

-71.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$49.14 $49.14

-32.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$44.39 $44.39

23.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$12.43 $12.43

-9.65%

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

$954 €849

$824 $824

15.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$48.75 $48.75

76.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$25.34 $25.34

54.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$89.5 $89.5

15.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$83.4 $83.4

42.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$685 $685

147.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$546 $546

133.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,752 $1,752

47.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,108 $1,108

73.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,251 $1,251

481.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,246 $1,246

302.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$5,551 $5,551

-59.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.37

-48.51%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Emporia, KS: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Emporia, KS

$546 35% 57.2% $730

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Emporia, KS

$308 19.8% 5.3% $17

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Emporia, KS

$269 17.3% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Emporia, KS

$240 15.4% 4.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Emporia, KS

$111 7.1% 28.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Emporia, KS

$69 4.5% 10.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Emporia, KS

$14 * 0.9% 70.3% $33

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 $685 in Emporia, KS. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Emporia, KS pays 149% 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 $76.0 in Emporia, KS. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $308, with Emporia, KS cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Emporia, KS

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

05:21 5:21 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

26,188

💱 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 Emporia, KS 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Emporia, KS

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 Emporia, KS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Emporia, KS differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,558 including rent). Emporia, KS is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 149% lower in Emporia, KS. 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 $685 in Emporia, KS. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $824 in Emporia, KS. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Emporia, KS – a meal for two runs $76.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,558 in Emporia, KS versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Emporia, KS but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Emporia, KS 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 Emporia, KS 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 Emporia, KS gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.