Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Knoxville, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,576 in Knoxville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Knoxville, TN
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Knoxville, TN Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Knoxville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,576

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,576 in Knoxville, TN.

Barcelona $2,381
Knoxville, TN $2,576

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,786 in Knoxville, TN.

Barcelona $3,406
Knoxville, TN $3,786

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,997 in Knoxville, TN.

Barcelona $4,431
Knoxville, TN $4,997

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 8% less than in Knoxville, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Knoxville, TN 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$17.71 $17.71

1.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$74.6 $74.6

-11.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$9.86 $9.86

38.84%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.38 $5.38

-43.12%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.83 $2.83

8.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.75 $2.75

-29.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.36 $6.36

-39.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.60 $6.60

-30.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.06 $1.06

22.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.47 $3.47

-39.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$4.56 $4.56

-59.87%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.46 $4.46

3.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.08 $10.08

72.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.22 $9.22

0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.91 $14.91

33.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$7.04 $7.04

-57.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.55 $1.55

30.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.87 $2.87

-7.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$5.58 $5.58

-48.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.16 $2.16

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$4.36 $4.36

-50.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.23 $2.23

-34.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.19 $2.19

-59.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$8.99 $8.99

-22.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$15.23 $15.23

-48.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.91 $1.91

-27.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.14 $3.14

-16.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.02 $1.02

185.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$29.58 $29.58

-13.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$5.10 $5.10

-41.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.51 $1.51

-4.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$29.87 $29.87

11.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.01 $1.01

84.16%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$27.9K $27.9K

16.07%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$27.3K $27.3K

16.20%

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

$183 €163

$223 $223

-18.15%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$74.4 $74.4

-81.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$53.1 $53.1

-37.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$29.37 $29.37

86.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$21.90 $21.90

-24.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.20 $15.20

-26.12%

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

$954 €849

$1,246 $1,246

-23.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$24.5K $24.5K

-32.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$50.9 $50.9

68.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$45.53 $45.53

-14.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$112 $112

-7.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$123 $123

-3.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,811 $1,811

-6.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,284 $1,284

-0.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,901 $2,901

-11.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$2,144 $2,144

-10.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,681 $4,681

55.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,243 $2,243

123.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,622 $3,622

-38.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.64

-50.60%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Knoxville, TN: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Knoxville, TN

$1.3K 49.8% 0.6% $7.9

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Knoxville, TN

$383 14.9% 17.8% $58

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Knoxville, TN

$303 11.8% 12.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Knoxville, TN

$351 13.6% 53% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Knoxville, TN

$149 5.8% 4.7% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Knoxville, TN

$60 2.3% 22.5% $17

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Knoxville, TN

$46 1.8% 2.2% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,811 in Knoxville, TN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Knoxville, TN pays 63% 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 $75.0 in Knoxville, TN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $383 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Knoxville, TN

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

08:25 8:25 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

190,740

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Knoxville, TN 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Knoxville, 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 Knoxville, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Knoxville, TN differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,576 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Knoxville, TN. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,811 in Knoxville, TN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,246 in Knoxville, TN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Knoxville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Knoxville, TN 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Knoxville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.