Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Park, MD and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,394 in College Park, MD, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in College Park, MD
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College Park, MD Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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College Park, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,394

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,394 in College Park, MD versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

College Park, MD $3,394
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,584 in College Park, MD versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

College Park, MD $4,584
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,774 in College Park, MD versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

College Park, MD $5,774
Barcelona $4,421

Living in College Park, MD is roughly 41% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: College Park, MD 151% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.76 $15.76

$17.94 €15.96

-12.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 $70.7

$68.1 €60.5

3.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 $9.84

$13.28 €11.81

-25.90%

Cappuccino

$4.51 $4.51

$3.25 €2.89

38.77%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$3.01 €2.67

-10.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.87 €1.66

-4.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 $6.33

$3.85 €3.42

64.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 $6.03

$4.48 €3.98

34.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.29 €1.15

-32.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.04 €1.81

22.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$1.72 €1.53

218.02%

Eggs

$1.98 $1.98

$4.77 €4.24

-58.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$16.77 €14.92

-61.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$8.93 €7.94

-27.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.53 $20.53

$19.88 €17.68

3.27%

Apples (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$2.98 €2.65

125.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.03 €1.80

-37.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.18 $7.18

$2.73 €2.43

163.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.68 €2.38

107.84%

Potato (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.10 €1.87

140.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.08 €1.85

58.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.45 €1.29

-32.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$0.89 €0.79

261.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.25 $9.25

$6.94 €6.17

33.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 $11.81

$7.78 €6.92

51.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.45 €1.29

15.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.57 €2.29

47.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.99 €2.66

-1.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.12 €2.77

31.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.44 €1.28

43.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.02 $25.02

$33.50 €29.80

-25.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.79 €1.59

-47.49%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$34.6K €30.8K

5.55%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$30.1K €26.7K

-17.34%

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

$244 $244

$178 €158

37.27%

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

$49.20 $49.20

$13.32 €11.85

269.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$34.88 €31.03

95.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.30 $39.30

$53.3 €47.37

-26.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$11.06 €9.84

35.26%

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

$2,026 $2,026

$957 €851

111.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.60 $47.60

$88.2 €78.4

-46.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.13 $33.13

$39.49 €35.12

-16.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$103 €91.5

15.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$121 €108

12.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 $2,293

$1,653 €1,470

38.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 $2,136

$1,302 €1,158

64.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,864 $3,864

$2,557 €2,275

51.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 $3,065

$1,915 €1,703

60.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,294 $6,294

$2,281 €2,029

175.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

3.28

89.94%

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

Last update for College Park, MD: 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

College Park, MD

$2.1K 62.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 39.1% $835

Groceries & Markets

College Park, MD

$378 11.2%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 15.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Park, MD

$361 10.7%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 37.4% $135

Eating Out

College Park, MD

$271 8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 0.5% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

College Park, MD

$151 4.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 4.7% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

College Park, MD

$69 2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 8.9% $6.2

Getting Around

College Park, MD

$26 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 81% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,293 in College Park, MD and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Park, MD pays 176% 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 College Park, MD vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Park, MD

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

6 h ahead of College Park, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,740

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

College Park, MD Barcelona 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

College Park, MD
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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

College Park, MD vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

College Park, MD and Barcelona differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($3,394 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 176% higher in College Park, MD, 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: $2,293 in College Park, MD versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,026 in College Park, MD versus $957 in Barcelona. 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 $68.0 versus $71.0 in College Park, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, College Park, MD 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 41% less than in College Park, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.