Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Laredo, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Laredo, TX: $1,964 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Laredo, TX
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Laredo, TX Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Laredo, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Laredo, TX

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 Laredo, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,964 in Laredo, TX.

Barcelona $2,381
Laredo, TX $1,964

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,981 in Laredo, TX.

Barcelona $3,406
Laredo, TX $2,981

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,999 in Laredo, TX.

Barcelona $4,431
Laredo, TX $3,999

Living in Barcelona is roughly 21% more expensive than in Laredo, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Laredo, TX 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$18.33 $18.33

-2.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$69.0 $69.0

-4.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.81 $7.81

75.29%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.96 $4.96

-38.31%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.30 $2.30

33.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.68 $1.68

15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.90 $3.90

-0.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.88 $5.88

-21.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.00 $1.00

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.99 $1.99

5.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.93 $2.93

-37.54%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.82 $3.82

20.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$8.65 $8.65

100.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.90 $9.90

-6.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$13.45 $13.45

47.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.89 $4.89

-38.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.62 $1.62

25.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.25 $4.25

-37.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.22 $3.22

-10.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.61 $2.61

-17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.22 $2.22

-3.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.92 $1.92

-23.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.73 $1.73

-49.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$9.40 $9.40

-26.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$12.85 $12.85

-39.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.78 $1.78

-21.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.38 $3.38

-22.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.98 $0.98

196.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$20.02 $20.02

27.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.41 $3.41

-12.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.85 $1.85

-22.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$24.17 $24.17

37.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.82 $0.82

126.83%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$25.1K $25.1K

29.04%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$24.5K $24.5K

29.14%

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

$183 €163

$215 $215

-14.84%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$63.8 $63.8

-78.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$64.4 $64.4

-48.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$39.94 $39.94

36.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$19.88 $19.88

-16.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$14.73 $14.73

-23.76%

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

$954 €849

$351 $351

171.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$19.1K $19.1K

-13.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$44.79 $44.79

92.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$20.03 $20.03

95.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$69.8 $69.8

48.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$121 $121

-1.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,189 $1,189

42.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$801 $801

59.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,291 $1,291

99.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,450 $1,450

32.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,704 $1,704

327.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,698 $1,698

195.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,125 $3,125

-28.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.44

-49.07%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Laredo, TX: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Laredo, TX

$801 40.8% 37.2% $475

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Laredo, TX

$322 16.4% 0.9% $2.9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Laredo, TX

$277 14.1% 2.7% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Laredo, TX

$343 17.5% 49.5% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Laredo, TX

$115 5.9% 26.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Laredo, TX

$69 3.5% 10.1% $7.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Laredo, TX

$37 1.9% 22.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,189 in Laredo, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Laredo, TX pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $69.0 in Laredo, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $322, with Laredo, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Laredo, TX

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

255,205

💱 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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Between locations

Barcelona Laredo, TX 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Laredo, TX

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 Laredo, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Laredo, TX differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,964 including rent). Laredo, TX is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Laredo, TX. 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 $1,189 in Laredo, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $351 in Laredo, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,964 in Laredo, TX versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Laredo, TX but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Laredo, TX 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 Laredo, TX 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 Laredo, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.