Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Memphis, TN

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Memphis, TN: $2,399 and $2,501 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Memphis, TN
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Memphis, TN Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Memphis, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,501 in Memphis, TN.

Barcelona $2,399
Memphis, TN $2,501

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,673 in Memphis, TN.

Barcelona $3,410
Memphis, TN $3,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,844 in Memphis, TN.

Barcelona $4,421
Memphis, TN $4,844

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 4% less than in Memphis, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Memphis, TN 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$17.99 $17.99

-0.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$74.5 $74.5

-8.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$12.16 $12.16

9.21%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$5.68 $5.68

-42.78%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.40 $2.40

25.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.99 $1.99

-6.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$7.12 $7.12

-45.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$8.03 $8.03

-44.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.94 $0.94

37.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.15 $3.15

-35.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.96 $3.96

-56.57%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.77 $3.77

26.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$13.18 $13.18

27.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$11.45 $11.45

-22.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$18.84 $18.84

5.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$5.67 $5.67

-47.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.71 $1.71

18.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$5.71 $5.71

-52.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$4.98 $4.98

-46.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.14 $3.14

-33.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$4.17 $4.17

-50.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.64 $2.64

-45.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$2.16 $2.16

-58.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$10.87 $10.87

-36.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$12.94 $12.94

-39.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.76 $1.76

-17.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.60 $1.60

60.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.02 $1.02

193.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$38.55 $38.55

-34.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.02 $2.02

54.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.41 $1.41

2.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$20.36 $20.36

64.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.02 $1.02

75.49%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$37.3K $37.3K

-7.27%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$27.1K $27.1K

11.01%

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

$178 €158

$187 $187

-4.97%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$86.3 $86.3

-84.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$75.8 $75.8

-53.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$31.47 $31.47

69.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$16.62 $16.62

-3.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$14.76 $14.76

-25.07%

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

$957 €851

$1,720 $1,720

-44.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$24.8K $24.8K

-33.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$47.08 $47.08

87.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$33.58 $33.58

17.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$82.2 $82.2

25.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$156 $156

-21.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,448 $1,448

14.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,175 $1,175

10.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,073 $2,073

23.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,900 $1,900

0.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,755 $1,755

315.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,351 $1,351

276.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$3,523 $3,523

-35.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.6

-50.30%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Memphis, TN: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Memphis, TN

$1.2K 47% 9.7% $127

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Memphis, TN

$404 16.1% 26.1% $84

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Memphis, TN

$318 12.7% 17.6% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Memphis, TN

$349 14% 54.5% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Memphis, TN

$143 5.7% 9.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Memphis, TN

$61 2.4% 19.1% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Memphis, TN

$52 2.1% 8.9% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,448 in Memphis, TN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Memphis, TN pays 54% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $74.0 in Memphis, TN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $404 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Memphis, TN

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

18:43 6:43 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

633,104

💱 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 Memphis, TN 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Barcelona and Memphis, TN differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,501 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Memphis, 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,448 in Memphis, TN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,720 in Memphis, TN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Memphis, 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 Memphis, 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 4% less than in Memphis, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.