Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birmingham, AL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,627 in Birmingham, AL, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Birmingham, AL despite lower rent and utilities.

126

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham, AL
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Birmingham, AL Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Birmingham, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,627

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Birmingham, AL and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Birmingham, AL and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,627 in Birmingham, AL versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Birmingham, AL $2,627
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,899 in Birmingham, AL versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Birmingham, AL $3,899
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,172 in Birmingham, AL versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Birmingham, AL $5,172
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Birmingham, AL is roughly 7% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Birmingham, AL 93% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 $17.75

$17.59 €15.80

0.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 $69.7

$67.5 €60.6

3.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 $8.86

$13.53 €12.15

-34.52%

Cappuccino

$5.67 $5.67

$3.19 €2.87

77.74%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$2.91 €2.62

-8.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.89 €1.70

20.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.01 €3.60

27.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 $5.92

$4.53 €4.07

30.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.31 €1.17

-17.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.02 €1.81

52.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.85 €1.66

160.54%

Eggs

$4.24 $4.24

$4.83 €4.34

-12.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.30 $9.30

$16.74 €15.03

-44.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.16 $11.16

$9.12 €8.19

22.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$19.64 €17.64

-16.19%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$2.98 €2.68

115.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.02 €1.81

-31.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$2.70 €2.43

191.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.80 €2.52

98.93%

Potato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.09 €1.87

99.04%

Onion (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.07 €1.86

160.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.46 €1.31

95.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.94 €0.84

196.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.55 $8.55

$6.87 €6.17

24.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$7.89 €7.08

90.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.41 €1.26

71.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.54 €2.28

38.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.14 €2.82

-51.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.9 $78.9

$25.45 €22.86

210.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.99 €2.69

-1.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.49 €1.34

4.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.20 $30.20

$33.37 €29.98

-9.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.80 €1.61

-48.89%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$33.2K €29.8K

-19.89%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$31.7K €28.5K

-18.85%

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

$274 $274

$180 €162

52.15%

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

$75.7 $75.7

$13.84 €12.43

446.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 $72.2

$33.70 €30.27

114.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 $54.3

$51.5 €46.27

5.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 $20.24

$15.96 €14.34

26.82%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 $16.04

$10.99 €9.88

45.95%

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

$1,324 $1,324

$917 €823

44.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K $17.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

7.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 $59.5

$87.0 €78.2

-31.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.91 $38.91

$38.51 €34.59

1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$106 €95.1

3.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$120 €108

13.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$1,699 €1,527

-6.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 $1,146

$1,355 €1,217

-15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,560 $2,560

$2,603 €2,338

-1.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,017 $2,017

$2,062 €1,853

-2.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,665 $2,665

$6,915 €6,211

-61.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,820 $1,820

$5,128 €4,606

-64.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,246 $3,246

$2,211 €1,986

46.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

3.28

103.96%

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

Last update for Birmingham, AL: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birmingham, AL

$1.1K 43.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 18.3% $210

Groceries & Markets

Birmingham, AL

$428 16.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 24.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birmingham, AL

$422 16.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 46% $194

Eating Out

Birmingham, AL

$294 11.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 8.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Birmingham, AL

$155 5.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 2.2% $3.4

Getting Around

Birmingham, AL

$96 3.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 49.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Birmingham, AL

$86 3.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 14.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,582 in Birmingham, AL and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birmingham, AL pays 47% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Birmingham, AL vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $428 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Birmingham, AL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

22:36 10:36 PM

6 h ahead of Birmingham, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,733

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Birmingham, AL Barcelona 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Birmingham, AL
Barcelona

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

Birmingham, AL vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,627 in Birmingham, AL and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Birmingham, AL, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,582 in Birmingham, AL versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,324 in Birmingham, AL versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Birmingham, AL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Birmingham, AL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.