Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Galveston, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Galveston, TX: $2,222 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Galveston, TX
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Galveston, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Galveston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,222 in Galveston, TX.

Barcelona $2,453
Galveston, TX $2,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,215 in Galveston, TX.

Barcelona $3,509
Galveston, TX $3,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,209 in Galveston, TX.

Barcelona $4,564
Galveston, TX $4,209

Living in Barcelona is roughly 10% more expensive than in Galveston, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Galveston, TX 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.04 $22.04

-20.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$76.5 $76.5

-11.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.12 $12.12

11.63%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$7.95 $7.95

-59.87%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.84 $2.84

2.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.77 $1.77

6.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.15 $5.15

-22.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.05 $4.05

11.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.81 $0.81

61.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.56 $2.56

-21.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.81 $2.81

-34.16%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.75 $2.75

75.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$11.45 $11.45

46.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.54 $9.54

-4.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$13.24 $13.24

48.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$5.47 $5.47

-45.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.57 $1.57

28.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.18 $3.18

-15.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.76 $3.76

-25.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.13 $2.13

-1.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.50 $2.50

-17.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.80 $1.80

-18.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.79 $1.79

-47.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$9.91 $9.91

-30.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$10.90 $10.90

-27.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.79 $1.79

-21.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.77 $1.77

43.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.95 $1.95

61.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$32.77 $32.77

-22.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$9.90 $9.90

-69.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.82 $1.82

-18.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$60.6 $60.6

-44.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.95 $0.95

89.47%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$26.8K $26.8K

23.64%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.4K $26.4K

20.23%

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

$180 €162

$176 $176

2.40%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$42.42 $42.42

-67.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$39.79 $39.79

-15.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$34.89 $34.89

47.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.17 $11.17

-1.61%

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

$917 €821

$759 $759

20.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$18.2K $18.2K

-9.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$44.12 $44.12

97.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$38.49 $38.49

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$73.4 $73.4

44.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$81.1 $81.1

47.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,186 $1,186

43.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,059 $1,059

27.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,118 $2,118

22.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,579 $1,579

30.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,698 $2,698

156.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,158 $2,158

137.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,045 $4,045

-45.34%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Galveston, TX: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Galveston, TX

$1.1K 47.7% 21.9% $296

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Galveston, TX

$320 14.4% 0.4% $1.4

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Galveston, TX

$360 16.2% 34.5% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Galveston, TX

$258 11.6% 13.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Galveston, TX

$107 4.8% 32.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Galveston, TX

$57 2.6% 22.1% $16

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Galveston, TX

$60 2.7% 22.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,186 in Galveston, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galveston, TX pays 83% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $77 in Galveston, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $320, with Galveston, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Galveston, TX

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

53,695

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Galveston, TX 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Galveston, 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 Galveston, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,222 in Galveston, TX, so Galveston, TX is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% 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 $1,186 in Galveston, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $759 in Galveston, TX. 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 $77 in Galveston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Galveston, TX gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.