Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Union, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Union, SC: $2,365 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Union, SC
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Union, SC Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Union, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Union, SC

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 Union, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,365 in Union, SC.

Barcelona $2,443
Union, SC $2,365

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,557 in Union, SC.

Barcelona $3,519
Union, SC $3,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,749 in Union, SC.

Barcelona $4,595
Union, SC $4,749

Living in Barcelona is roughly 3% more expensive than in Union, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Union, SC 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$8.74 $8.74

102.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$99.8 $99.8

-32.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$8.67 $8.67

56.98%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$5.69 $5.69

-45.52%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.20 $2.20

36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.83 $1.83

5.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$2.76 $2.76

39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$3.40 $3.40

28.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.09 $1.09

14.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.36 $3.36

-36.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.47 $2.47

-20.24%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$3.19 $3.19

49.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$8.90 $8.90

91.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$13.02 $13.02

-31.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$14.96 $14.96

38.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.75 $2.75

14.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.29 $1.29

52.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.27 $3.27

-18.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$4.34 $4.34

-33.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.29 $2.29

-10.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.05 $2.05

6.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.74 $1.74

-12.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.23 $1.23

-21.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$8.47 $8.47

-17.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$8.77 $8.77

-10.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.80 $1.80

-21.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$5.22 $5.22

-48.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.20 $2.20

50.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$55.0 $55.0

-53.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.78 $2.78

10.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.07 $3.07

-51.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$35.57 $35.57

-7.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.95 $0.95

96.84%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$28.1K $28.1K

17.22%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$26.0K $26.0K

23.06%

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

$183 €162

$177 $177

3.59%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$63.8 $63.8

-77.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$45.59 $45.59

-24.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$40.28 $40.28

27.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$11.72 $11.72

-5.63%

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

$944 €838

$2,537 $2,537

-62.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$32.6K $32.6K

-31.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$47.50 $47.50

84.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$20.79 $20.79

86.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$84.1 $84.1

24.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$100 $100

17.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$1,350 $1,350

25.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$1,289 $1,289

3.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$2,217 $2,217

21.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$2,191 $2,191

-5.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$2,783 $2,783

157.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$2,649 $2,649

91.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

$2,430 $2,430

-7.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

-20.25%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Union, SC: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Union, SC

$1.3K 54.5% 3.5% $47

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Union, SC

$330 13.9% 0.6% $2.1

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Union, SC

$201 8.5% 24.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Union, SC

$286 12.1% 23.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Union, SC

$114 4.8% 27.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Union, SC

$64 2.7% 13.4% $9.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Union, SC

$82 3.5% 66.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,350 in Union, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Union, SC pays 8% 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 $100 in Union, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $330 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Union, SC

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

18:45 6:45 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Union, SC 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Union, SC

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 Union, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,365 in Union, SC, so Union, SC is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,350 in Union, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $2,537 in Union, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $100 in Union, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Union, SC 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.