Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hickory, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Hickory, NC: $2,078 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Hickory, NC
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Hickory, NC Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Hickory, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hickory, NC

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 Hickory, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,078 in Hickory, NC.

Barcelona $2,453
Hickory, NC $2,078

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,962 in Hickory, NC.

Barcelona $3,509
Hickory, NC $2,962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,847 in Hickory, NC.

Barcelona $4,564
Hickory, NC $3,847

Living in Barcelona is roughly 18% more expensive than in Hickory, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Hickory, NC 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$15.01 $15.01

17.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$61.7 $61.7

9.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$11.03 $11.03

22.67%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$5.00 $5.00

-36.20%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.23 $2.23

30.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.57 $1.57

20.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.46 $5.46

-26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$6.79 $6.79

-33.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.85 $0.85

54.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.65 $3.65

-44.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.12 $3.12

-40.71%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.43 $3.43

40.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$10.74 $10.74

55.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$8.98 $8.98

1.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$17.00 $17.00

15.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.99 $3.99

-25.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.75 $1.75

15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.35 $2.35

14.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.75 $1.75

60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.38 $2.38

-12.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$3.25 $3.25

-36.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.79 $1.79

-18.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.11 $2.11

-55.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$9.00 $9.00

-23.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$14.93 $14.93

-47.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.66 $1.66

-15.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.93 $2.93

-13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.22 $1.22

157.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$44.59 $44.59

-42.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$1.98 $1.98

51.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.27 $2.27

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$17.72 $17.72

88.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.82 $0.82

119.51%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$27.0K $27.0K

22.79%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$26.3K $26.3K

20.65%

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

$180 €162

$141 $141

28.30%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$59.9 $59.9

-76.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$54.1 $54.1

-37.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$27.46 $27.46

87.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$14.27 $14.27

-22.99%

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

$917 €823

$354 $354

158.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$25.3K $25.3K

-34.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$40.75 $40.75

113.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$20.24 $20.24

90.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$39.51 $39.51

167.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$49.94 $49.94

139.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,299 $1,299

30.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,030 $1,030

31.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,688 $1,688

54.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,522 $1,522

35.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$2,141 $2,141

222.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,163 $2,163

137.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$4,526 $4,526

-51.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.53

-40.69%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hickory, NC: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Hickory, NC

$1K 49.6% 24% $325

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Hickory, NC

$338 16.3% 5% $16

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Hickory, NC

$269 13% 0.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Hickory, NC

$255 12.3% 11.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Hickory, NC

$68 3.3% 57.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Hickory, NC

$56 2.7% 23.8% $17

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Hickory, NC

$63 3% 29.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,299 in Hickory, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hickory, NC pays about 2 times 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 $62 in Hickory, NC. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $338, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Hickory, NC

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

40,374

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Hickory, NC 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Hickory, NC

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 Hickory, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Hickory, NC differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $2,078 including rent). Hickory, NC is meaningfully more affordable – 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 $1,299 in Hickory, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $354 in Hickory, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Hickory, NC 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.