Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Johnson City, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Johnson City, TN: $2,138 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
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Johnson City, TN Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Johnson City, TN

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 Johnson City, TN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,138 in Johnson City, TN.

Barcelona $2,453
Johnson City, TN $2,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,133 in Johnson City, TN.

Barcelona $3,509
Johnson City, TN $3,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,129 in Johnson City, TN.

Barcelona $4,564
Johnson City, TN $4,129

Living in Barcelona is roughly 15% more expensive than in Johnson City, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Johnson City, TN 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$13.78 $13.78

27.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$53.9 $53.9

25.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.88 $9.88

36.94%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.14 $5.14

-37.94%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.88 $2.88

1.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.03 $2.03

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.93 $4.93

-18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.04 $6.04

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.98 $0.98

33.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.75 $3.75

-46.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.97 $3.97

-53.40%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.11 $3.11

55.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$7.53 $7.53

122.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.67 $13.67

-33.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$13.09 $13.09

50.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$7.59 $7.59

-60.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.73 $1.73

16.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.10 $4.10

-34.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.65 $3.65

-23.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.40 $3.40

-38.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$4.34 $4.34

-52.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.20 $2.20

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.36 $2.36

-60.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$9.01 $9.01

-23.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$13.14 $13.14

-39.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.61 $1.61

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.42 $4.42

-42.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.97 $0.97

223.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$25.13 $25.13

1.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.58 $5.58

-46.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.44 $1.44

3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$15.19 $15.19

119.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.83 $0.83

116.87%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$30.0K $30.0K

10.64%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$24.7K $24.7K

28.28%

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

$180 €162

$172 $172

4.79%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$51.9 $51.9

-73.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$62.5 $62.5

-46.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$47.20 $47.20

9.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$20.14 $20.14

-20.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.88 $11.88

-7.49%

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

$917 €821

$1,185 $1,185

-22.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$14.6K $14.6K

12.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$37.41 $37.41

132.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$30.80 $30.80

25.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$87.4 $87.4

21.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$94.4 $94.4

26.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,178 $1,178

44.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$980 $980

38.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,992 $1,992

30.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,616 $1,616

27.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,444 $2,444

182.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,033 $2,033

152.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,584 $3,584

-38.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.49

-49.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Johnson City, TN: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Johnson City, TN

$980 45.9% 27.7% $375

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Johnson City, TN

$388 18.1% 20.5% $66

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Johnson City, TN

$258 12.1% 3.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Johnson City, TN

$287 13.4% 25.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Johnson City, TN

$113 5.3% 28.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.3% 3.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Johnson City, TN

$42 2% 13.8% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,178 in Johnson City, TN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johnson City, TN pays 62% 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 $54 in Johnson City, TN. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $388, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

22:14 10:14 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

66,027

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Johnson City, TN 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Johnson City, TN

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 Johnson City, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,138 in Johnson City, TN, so Johnson City, TN is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% 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 $1,178 in Johnson City, TN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,185 in Johnson City, TN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Johnson City, TN – a meal for two runs $54 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 Johnson City, TN are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.