Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Waco, TX

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Waco, TX: $2,405 and $2,447 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Waco, TX
Learn more

Waco, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Waco, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $2,447 in Waco, TX.

Barcelona $2,405
Waco, TX $2,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $3,090 in Waco, TX.

Barcelona $3,477
Waco, TX $3,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $3,734 in Waco, TX.

Barcelona $4,550
Waco, TX $3,734

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 2% less than in Waco, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Waco, TX 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.04

$15.21 $15.21

18.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$59.0 $59.0

14.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$12.18 $12.18

9.77%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$5.39 $5.39

-38.03%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$1.77 $1.77

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.49 $1.49

27.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$4.93 $4.93

-21.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$5.52 $5.52

-17.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.76 $0.76

67.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$3.16 $3.16

-37.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.03 $2.03

-13.79%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$2.78 $2.78

75.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$12.06 $12.06

44.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$9.70 $9.70

-6.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$11.67 $11.67

72.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$3.83 $3.83

-19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.12 $1.12

81.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$3.86 $3.86

-32.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$3.71 $3.71

-26.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.27 $2.27

-5.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.86 $2.86

-22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.76 $1.76

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.99 $0.99

-6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$8.54 $8.54

-16.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$13.49 $13.49

-43.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.68 $1.68

-11.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.81 $3.81

-28.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.54 $1.54

91.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.12

$40.12 $40.12

-35.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$9.93 $9.93

-68.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.90 $1.90

-23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$59.4 $59.4

-42.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.89 $0.89

101.12%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$36.2K $36.2K

-4.24%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$25.0K $25.0K

21.11%

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

$181 €161

$175 $175

2.98%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$40.53 $40.53

-66.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$54.7 $54.7

-35.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$27.96 $27.96

90.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.32

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$9.07 $9.07

25.36%

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

$939 €838

$747 $747

25.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$18.2K $18.2K

-9.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$47.91 $47.91

84.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$38.27 $38.27

3.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$85.3 $85.3

21.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$95.4 $95.4

25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$1,244 $1,244

36.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$1,328 $1,328

-2.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,298

$1,541 $1,541

67.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$1,374 $1,374

41.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$1,970 $1,970

279.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,635

$1,955 $1,955

165.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$3,156 $3,156

-27.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.49

-49.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Waco, TX: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Waco, TX

$1.3K 55% 2.1% $28

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Waco, TX

$312 12.9% 3.8% $12

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Waco, TX

$272 11.3% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Waco, TX

$271 11.2% 18% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Waco, TX

$120 5% 23.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Waco, TX

$46 1.9% 39.3% $30

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Waco, TX

$66 2.7% 36.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,244 in Waco, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waco, TX pays 37% 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: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $59.0 in Waco, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $312 per month, with Waco, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Waco, TX

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

11:34 11:34 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

138,486

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Waco, TX 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Waco, 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 Waco, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Waco, TX differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $2,447 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Waco, 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 $1,244 in Waco, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $747 in Waco, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Waco, TX pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,405 in Barcelona versus $2,447 in Waco, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Waco, TX. 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Waco, 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Waco, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.