Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tacoma, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,008 in Tacoma, WA, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Tacoma, WA
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Tacoma, WA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Tacoma, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Tacoma, WA

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 Tacoma, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,008 in Tacoma, WA.

Barcelona $2,453
Tacoma, WA $3,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,371 in Tacoma, WA.

Barcelona $3,509
Tacoma, WA $4,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,735 in Tacoma, WA.

Barcelona $4,564
Tacoma, WA $5,735

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 18% less than in Tacoma, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Tacoma, WA 121% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$25.28 $25.28

-30.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$80.9 $80.9

-16.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.14 $12.14

11.45%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.61 $5.61

-43.14%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.10 $3.10

-6.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.64 $2.64

-28.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.94 $6.94

-42.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.92 $6.92

-34.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.10 $1.10

19.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$4.20 $4.20

-51.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$5.83 $5.83

-68.27%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.69 $5.69

-15.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$15.85 $15.85

5.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$15.91 $15.91

-42.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$23.45 $23.45

-16.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.99 $4.99

-40.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.74 $1.74

16.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.32 $4.32

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.52 $4.52

-38.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.69 $2.69

-22.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.93 $2.93

-29.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.73 $1.73

-15.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$3.26 $3.26

-71.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$12.05 $12.05

-42.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$18.35 $18.35

-57.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.77 $1.77

-20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.99 $4.99

-49.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.02 $2.02

55.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$62.6 $62.6

-59.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.55 $2.55

17.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.69 $1.69

-11.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$29.77 $29.77

12.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.32 $1.32

36.36%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.2K $28.2K

17.55%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$27.1K $27.1K

16.79%

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

$180 €162

$230 $230

-21.72%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$91.1 $91.1

-84.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$86.7 $86.7

-61.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$36.12 $36.12

42.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$18.09 $18.09

-11.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.97 $13.97

-21.33%

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

$917 €821

$2,085 $2,085

-56.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$32.6K $32.6K

-49.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$61.9 $61.9

40.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$44.73 $44.73

-13.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$86.3 $86.3

22.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$130 $130

-7.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,735 $1,735

-2.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,444 $1,444

-6.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,699 $2,699

-3.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,309 $2,309

-10.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$4,794 $4,794

44.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$3,251 $3,251

57.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,927 $4,927

-55.13%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Tacoma, WA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Tacoma, WA

$1.4K 48% 6.5% $88

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Tacoma, WA

$487 16.2% 51.5% $166

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Tacoma, WA

$378 12.6% 40.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Tacoma, WA

$408 13.6% 79.1% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Tacoma, WA

$145 4.8% 8.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Tacoma, WA

$64 2.1% 12.8% $9.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Tacoma, WA

$82 2.7% 68.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,735 in Tacoma, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tacoma, WA pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $81 in Tacoma, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $487 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Tacoma, WA

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

04:47 4:47 AM

9 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

219,346

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Tacoma, WA 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Tacoma, WA

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 Tacoma, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $3,008 in Tacoma, WA, so Barcelona is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 55% 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 $1,735 in Tacoma, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,085 in Tacoma, WA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Tacoma, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,008 in Tacoma, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Tacoma, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Tacoma, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.