Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and La Crosse, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in La Crosse, WI: $2,217 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
106

Cost of Living Index in La Crosse, WI
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La Crosse, WI Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

La Crosse, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in La Crosse, WI

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 La Crosse, WI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,217 in La Crosse, WI.

Barcelona $2,453
La Crosse, WI $2,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,376 in La Crosse, WI.

Barcelona $3,509
La Crosse, WI $3,376

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,535 in La Crosse, WI.

Barcelona $4,564
La Crosse, WI $4,535

Living in Barcelona is roughly 11% more expensive than in La Crosse, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, La Crosse, WI 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$15.24 $15.24

15.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$69.5 $69.5

-2.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$10.83 $10.83

24.93%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$5.77 $5.77

-44.71%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.10 $2.10

38.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.18 $1.18

60.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$4.42 $4.42

-9.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.99 $5.99

-24.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.73 $0.73

79.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.45 $2.45

-17.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.58 $4.58

-59.61%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.48 $2.48

94.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$10.19 $10.19

64.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$11.09 $11.09

-17.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$16.42 $16.42

19.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$4.93 $4.93

-39.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.11 $1.11

81.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$3.21 $3.21

-15.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$5.22 $5.22

-46.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.96 $1.96

6.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.35 $2.35

-11.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.01 $2.01

-27.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.72 $1.72

-45.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$9.93 $9.93

-30.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.09

$10.81 $10.81

-27.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.84 $1.84

-23.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.05 $2.05

23.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.99 $0.99

217.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$35.33 $35.33

-27.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.52 $3.52

-15.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.82 $1.82

-18.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.99

$45.84 $45.84

-27.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$0.91 $0.91

97.80%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$33.0K $33.0K

0.65%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$24.4K $24.4K

29.69%

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

$180 €162

$208 $208

-13.24%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$54.6 $54.6

-74.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.28

$65.7 $65.7

-48.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.28

$40.79 $40.79

26.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$3.89 $3.89

310.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$11.96 $11.96

-8.11%

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

$917 €824

$888 $888

3.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$63.3 $63.3

37.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.60

$63.6 $63.6

-39.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$77.5 $77.5

36.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$118 $118

1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$774 $774

119.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,218

$1,017 $1,017

33.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,339

$2,196 $2,196

18.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,917 $1,917

7.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,213

$1,972 $1,972

250.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,607

$1,965 $1,965

160.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$4,185 $4,185

-47.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.63

-50.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for La Crosse, WI: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

La Crosse, WI

$1K 45.9% 25% $338

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

La Crosse, WI

$340 15.3% 5.6% $18

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

La Crosse, WI

$271 12.2% 1.1% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

La Crosse, WI

$328 14.8% 44% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

La Crosse, WI

$145 6.5% 8.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

La Crosse, WI

$65 2.9% 11.9% $8.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

La Crosse, WI

$52 2.3% 7.1% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $774 in La Crosse, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

La Crosse, WI pays 89% 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 $69 in La Crosse, WI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $340 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 La Crosse, WI

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

13:04 1:04 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

52,680

💱 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

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Between locations

Barcelona La Crosse, WI 7,210 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
La Crosse, WI

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 La Crosse, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and La Crosse, WI differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $2,217 including rent). La Crosse, WI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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 $774 in La Crosse, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $888 in La Crosse, WI. 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 La Crosse, WI 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and La Crosse, WI are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.