Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boise, ID and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,610 in Boise, ID, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Boise, ID despite lower rent and utilities.

126

Cost of Living Index in Boise, ID
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Boise, ID Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Boise, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,610

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Boise, ID versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Boise, ID $2,610
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in Boise, ID versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Boise, ID $3,672
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,735 in Boise, ID versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Boise, ID $4,735
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Boise, ID is roughly 9% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Boise, ID 93% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.78 $19.78

$17.94 €15.96

10.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 $71.3

$68.1 €60.5

4.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$13.28 €11.81

-1.58%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$3.25 €2.89

87.08%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$3.01 €2.67

-9.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.87 €1.66

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 $6.92

$3.85 €3.42

79.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 $6.59

$4.48 €3.98

47.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.29 €1.15

-24.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.04 €1.81

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.72 €1.53

255.81%

Eggs

$4.42 $4.42

$4.77 €4.24

-7.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.09 $16.09

$16.77 €14.92

-4.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$8.93 €7.94

24.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 $17.27

$19.88 €17.68

-13.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.98 €2.65

66.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.03 €1.80

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.73 €2.43

47.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.68 €2.38

79.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.10 €1.87

37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.08 €1.85

24.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.45 €1.29

59.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.89 €0.79

171.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.10 $9.10

$6.94 €6.17

31.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$7.78 €6.92

103.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.45 €1.29

46.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.57 €2.29

29.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.99 €2.66

-49.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.35 $41.35

$25.20 €22.41

64.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 $2.59

$3.12 €2.77

-16.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.44 €1.28

2.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.87 $23.87

$33.50 €29.80

-28.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.79 €1.59

-35.20%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$34.6K €30.8K

5.68%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$30.1K €26.7K

-16.73%

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

$176 $176

$178 €158

-0.96%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$13.32 €11.85

321.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$34.88 €31.03

115.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 $39.55

$53.3 €47.37

-25.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.29 $37.29

$16.01 €14.24

132.92%

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 $12.60

$11.06 €9.84

13.92%

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

$959 $959

$957 €851

0.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$16.6K €14.7K

45.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$88.2 €78.4

-39.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.26 $41.26

$39.49 €35.12

4.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$103 €91.5

-12.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$121 €108

-9.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$1,653 €1,470

-2.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 $1,289

$1,302 €1,158

-0.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,489 $2,489

$2,557 €2,275

-2.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$1,915 €1,703

-5.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,339 $7,339

$7,286 €6,481

0.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,126 $3,126

$5,080 €4,519

-38.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,233 $4,233

$2,281 €2,029

85.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

3.28

103.66%

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

Last update for Boise, ID: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boise, ID

$1.3K 49.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 1% $13

Groceries & Markets

Boise, ID

$422 16.2%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 24.1% $101

Eating Out

Boise, ID

$337 12.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 19.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boise, ID

$307 11.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 26.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Boise, ID

$133 5.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 19.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Boise, ID

$65 2.5%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 16.4% $11

Getting Around

Boise, ID

$57 2.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 17.2% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,613 in Boise, ID and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boise, ID pays 86% 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: $71.0 in Boise, ID vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Boise, ID

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

22:30 10:30 PM

8 h ahead of Boise, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

235,684

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Boise, ID Barcelona 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Boise, ID
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

Boise, ID vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boise, ID and Barcelona differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,610 vs $2,399 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Boise, ID, 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: $1,613 in Boise, ID versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $959 in Boise, ID versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Boise, ID. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona 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.

Safety-wise, Boise, ID and Barcelona 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 9% less than in Boise, ID. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.