Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Houma, LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Houma, LA: $2,071 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Houma, LA
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Houma, LA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Houma, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Houma, LA

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 Houma, LA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,071 in Houma, LA.

Barcelona $2,453
Houma, LA $2,071

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,003 in Houma, LA.

Barcelona $3,509
Houma, LA $3,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,936 in Houma, LA.

Barcelona $4,564
Houma, LA $3,936

Living in Barcelona is roughly 18% more expensive than in Houma, LA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Houma, LA 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$19.83 $19.83

-11.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$49.72 $49.72

35.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$12.16 $12.16

11.27%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$5.37 $5.37

-40.60%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.14 $2.14

35.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.65 $1.65

14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.09 $3.09

29.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.93 $4.93

-8.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.13 $1.13

15.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.92 $3.92

-48.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$5.10 $5.10

-63.73%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$1.72 $1.72

180.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$10.23 $10.23

63.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$10.26 $10.26

-11.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$15.25 $15.25

28.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$5.28 $5.28

-43.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.29 $1.29

56.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$5.31 $5.31

-49.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.03 $4.03

-30.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.06 $2.06

1.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$3.14 $3.14

-34.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.95 $1.95

-25.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.54 $2.54

-62.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$8.64 $8.64

-20.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$12.87 $12.87

-38.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.48 $2.48

-43.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.83 $3.83

-33.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.45 $3.45

-13.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.45 $1.45

2.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$34.46 $34.46

-3.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.89 $0.89

102.25%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$33.0K $33.0K

0.54%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$26.3K $26.3K

20.47%

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

$180 €162

$151 $151

19.57%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$72.1 $72.1

-80.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$47.11 $47.11

-28.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$27.18 $27.18

89.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$12.32 $12.32

-10.80%

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

$917 €823

$1,553 $1,553

-40.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.4K $10.4K

58.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$56.2 $56.2

54.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$43.54 $43.54

-11.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$85.4 $85.4

23.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$120 $120

-0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,043 $1,043

62.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$924 $924

46.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,564 $1,564

66.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,448 $1,448

42.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$1,438 $1,438

381.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$1,483 $1,483

245.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$3,802 $3,802

-41.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-18.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Houma, LA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Houma, LA

$924 44.6% 31.9% $432

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Houma, LA

$378 18.2% 17.3% $56

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Houma, LA

$300 14.5% 12% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Houma, LA

$270 13% 18.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Houma, LA

$137 6.6% 13% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Houma, LA

$52 2.5% 29.5% $22

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Houma, LA

$11 * 0.5% 77.9% $38

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 $1,043 in Houma, LA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houma, LA pays 72% 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 $50 in Houma, LA. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $378, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Houma, LA

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

09:57 9:57 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

32,657

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Houma, LA 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Houma, LA

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 Houma, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Houma, LA differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $2,071 including rent). Houma, LA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% 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 $1,043 in Houma, LA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,553 in Houma, LA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Houma, LA – a meal for two runs $50 versus $67 in Barcelona. 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 Houma, LA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.