Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Jefferson City, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Jefferson City, MO: $1,858 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Jefferson City, MO
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Jefferson City, MO Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Jefferson City, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$1,858

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Jefferson City, MO

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 Jefferson City, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,858 in Jefferson City, MO.

Barcelona $2,381
Jefferson City, MO $1,858

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,890 in Jefferson City, MO.

Barcelona $3,406
Jefferson City, MO $2,890

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,922 in Jefferson City, MO.

Barcelona $4,431
Jefferson City, MO $3,922

Living in Barcelona is roughly 28% more expensive than in Jefferson City, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Jefferson City, MO 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.97 $14.97

19.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$39.52 $39.52

67.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$9.98 $9.98

37.17%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.49 $5.49

-44.26%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.04 $2.04

50.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.21 $2.21

-12.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.39 $5.39

-28.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.34 $6.34

-27.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.91 $0.91

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.26 $3.26

-35.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$4.44 $4.44

-58.78%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.26 $4.26

8.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$4.39 $4.39

295.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.71 $9.71

-4.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$13.38 $13.38

48.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.31 $4.31

-30.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.61 $1.61

26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.36 $4.36

-39.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.28 $4.28

-32.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.21 $3.21

-32.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.33 $3.33

-35.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.42 $2.42

-39.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.96 $1.96

-55.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$7.97 $7.97

-13.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$12.74 $12.74

-38.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.94 $1.94

-28.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.83 $3.83

-31.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.08 $3.08

-5.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.43 $2.43

23.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.20 $1.20

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$60.8 $60.8

-45.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.86 $0.86

116.28%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$35.7K $35.7K

-9.36%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.4K $25.4K

24.74%

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

$183 €163

$204 $204

-10.61%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$65.7 $65.7

-79.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$69.8 $69.8

-52.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.12 $15.12

-25.73%

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

$954 €849

$1,197 $1,197

-20.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$21.2K $21.2K

-21.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$50.3 $50.3

70.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$42.76 $42.76

-8.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$104 $104

0.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$126 $126

-5.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$887 $887

91.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$709 $709

79.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,774 $1,774

45.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,564 $1,564

22.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,537 $1,537

373.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,743 $1,743

187.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,915 $1,915

16.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.56

-50.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Jefferson City, MO: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Jefferson City, MO

$709 38.2% 44.4% $567

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Jefferson City, MO

$341 18.3% 4.8% $16

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Jefferson City, MO

$272 14.7% 1% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Jefferson City, MO

$340 18.3% 48.2% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Jefferson City, MO

$145 7.8% 7.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Jefferson City, MO

$30 * 1.6% 60.8% $47

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Jefferson City, MO

$21 * 1.1% 56.1% $27

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 $887 in Jefferson City, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $40.00 in Jefferson City, MO. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $341, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Jefferson City, MO

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

07:33 7:33 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

43,079

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Barcelona Jefferson City, MO 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Jefferson City, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Jefferson City, MO differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,858 including rent). Jefferson City, MO is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $887 in Jefferson City, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,197 in Jefferson City, MO. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jefferson City, MO – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,858 in Jefferson City, MO versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Jefferson City, MO but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Jefferson City, MO 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 Jefferson City, MO 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 Jefferson City, MO gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.