Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Fort Collins, CO

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Fort Collins, CO
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Fort Collins, CO Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Fort Collins, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,816

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Fort Collins, 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 Fort Collins, CO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO.

Barcelona $2,453
Fort Collins, CO $2,816

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,951 in Fort Collins, CO.

Barcelona $3,509
Fort Collins, CO $3,951

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,085 in Fort Collins, CO.

Barcelona $4,564
Fort Collins, CO $5,085

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 13% less than in Fort Collins, CO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Fort Collins, CO 107% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$22.88 $22.88

-23.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$79.0 $79.0

-14.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$11.24 $11.24

20.37%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$6.22 $6.22

-48.71%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$2.54 $2.54

14.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.06 $2.06

-8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$7.05 $7.05

-43.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$6.89 $6.89

-34.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.03 $1.03

27.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.99 $2.99

-32.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.79 $2.79

-33.69%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$4.13 $4.13

16.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$11.15 $11.15

50.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$9.23 $9.23

-1.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$19.48 $19.48

0.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$4.98 $4.98

-40.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.52 $1.52

32.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$4.81 $4.81

-43.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$5.35 $5.35

-47.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$3.58 $3.58

-41.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$4.66 $4.66

-55.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.33 $2.33

-37.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.78 $1.78

-47.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$10.32 $10.32

-33.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$16.64 $16.64

-52.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.47 $2.47

-42.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.71 $2.71

-6.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$2.43 $2.43

23.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.90 $1.90

-21.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$24.61 $24.61

35.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.02 $1.02

76.47%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$28.4K $28.4K

17.05%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$26.2K $26.2K

21.19%

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

$180 €161

$210 $210

-14.14%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$56.6 $56.6

-75.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$70.6 $70.6

-52.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$51.8 $51.8

-0.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$29.76 $29.76

-46.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$11.96 $11.96

-8.11%

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

$917 €818

$1,288 $1,288

-28.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$12.6K $12.6K

31.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$59.1 $59.1

47.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$68.5 $68.5

-43.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$81.6 $81.6

29.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$114 $114

4.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$1,817 $1,817

-6.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$1,499 $1,499

-9.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$2,837 $2,837

-8.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$2,143 $2,143

-3.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$4,076 $4,076

69.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$2,793 $2,793

83.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$4,503 $4,503

-50.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.77

-51.55%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fort Collins, CO: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Fort Collins, CO

$1.5K 53.2% 10.6% $144

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Fort Collins, CO

$388 13.8% 20.5% $66

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Fort Collins, CO

$359 12.7% 33.9% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Fort Collins, CO

$337 12% 48% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Fort Collins, CO

$145 5.2% 7.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Fort Collins, CO

$76 2.7% 3% $2.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Fort Collins, CO

$12 * 0.4% 75.4% $37

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,817 in Fort Collins, CO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Collins, CO pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $79 in Fort Collins, CO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $388 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Fort Collins, CO

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

11:22 11:22 AM

8 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

148,612

💱 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 Fort Collins, CO 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Fort Collins, 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 Fort Collins, CO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO, so Barcelona is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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 $1,817 in Fort Collins, CO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,288 in Fort Collins, CO. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $79 in Fort Collins, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Fort Collins, CO are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Fort Collins, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.