Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and University Place, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,876 in University Place, WA, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. The total is higher in University Place, WA despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in University Place, WA
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University Place, WA Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

University Place, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,876 in University Place, WA.

Barcelona $2,443
University Place, WA $2,876

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,279 in University Place, WA.

Barcelona $3,519
University Place, WA $4,279

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,682 in University Place, WA.

Barcelona $4,595
University Place, WA $5,682

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 15% less than in University Place, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, University Place, WA 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.80

$23.38 $23.38

-24.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.4

$101 $101

-33.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.18

$12.15 $12.15

12.02%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$6.08 $6.08

-49.01%

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

$3.00 €2.69

$3.12 $3.12

-3.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$3.14 $3.14

-38.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$7.93 $7.93

-51.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$7.86 $7.86

-44.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.10 $1.10

13.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$4.05 $4.05

-47.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$5.95 $5.95

-66.89%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$4.97 $4.97

-4.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.27

$16.11 $16.11

5.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$18.19 $18.19

-50.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.48

$23.33 $23.33

-11.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$5.91 $5.91

-46.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.77 $1.77

11.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$5.55 $5.55

-52.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$4.48 $4.48

-35.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$3.48 $3.48

-40.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.82 $2.82

-22.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.96 $1.96

-21.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$3.06 $3.06

-68.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$12.43 $12.43

-43.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$18.17 $18.17

-56.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.75 $1.75

-18.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$4.95 $4.95

-45.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.13 $2.13

55.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.91

$65.8 $65.8

-61.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$2.66 $2.66

15.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.70 $1.70

-12.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.42

$30.49 $30.49

7.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.45 $1.45

28.97%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$27.9K $27.9K

18.15%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$26.5K $26.5K

20.58%

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

$183 €164

$233 $233

-21.53%

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

$14.24 €12.74

$68.7 $68.7

-79.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.93

$88.6 $88.6

-60.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €46.01

$39.56 $39.56

29.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.66

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.90

$17.88 $17.88

-38.14%

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

$944 €844

$2,087 $2,087

-54.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$27.9K $27.9K

-20.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.5

$60.3 $60.3

45.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.70

$44.90 $44.90

-13.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

$130 $130

-19.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$127 $127

-7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,518

$1,573 $1,573

7.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,196

$1,280 $1,280

4.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,409

$2,599 $2,599

3.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,858

$2,111 $2,111

-1.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,402

$2,918 $2,918

145.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,545

$2,644 $2,644

92.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,006

$8,149 $8,149

-72.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.64

-51.96%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for University Place, WA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

University Place, WA

$1.3K 44.5% 4.2% $57

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

University Place, WA

$505 17.6% 54% $177

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

University Place, WA

$377 13.1% 41.2% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

University Place, WA

$390 13.6% 68.5% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

University Place, WA

$163 5.7% 3.9% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

University Place, WA

$75 2.6% 2.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

University Place, WA

$85 3% 73.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,573 in University Place, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

University Place, WA pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $101 in University Place, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $505 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 University Place, WA

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

09:10 9:10 AM

9 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

34,866

💱 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 University Place, WA 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
University Place, 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 University Place, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,876 in University Place, WA, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 72% 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 $1,573 in University Place, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $2,087 in University Place, WA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in University Place, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 University Place, WA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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