Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Station, TX and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in College Station, TX: $2,100 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

102

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,100

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,100 in College Station, TX versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

College Station, TX $2,100
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,153 in College Station, TX versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

College Station, TX $3,153
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,207 in College Station, TX versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

College Station, TX $4,207
Barcelona $4,431

Living in College Station, TX costs roughly 12% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: College Station, TX 55% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$17.89 €15.92

-16.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 $77.9

$66.2 €58.9

17.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 $12.08

$13.69 €12.18

-11.76%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$3.06 €2.72

76.14%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$3.07 €2.73

-3.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.94 €1.73

-7.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.87 €3.44

29.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 $7.36

$4.61 €4.10

59.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.30 €1.16

-42.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.10 €1.87

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.83 €1.62

107.10%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$4.62 €4.11

-36.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 $11.82

$17.36 €15.44

-31.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$9.28 €8.25

5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$19.83 €17.64

-34.64%

Apples (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$3.01 €2.68

110.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.03 €1.81

-20.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$2.65 €2.36

142.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.87 €2.55

72.13%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.16 €1.92

88.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.15 €1.91

38.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.47 €1.31

19.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.88 €0.79

104.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 $9.89

$6.93 €6.16

42.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 $13.84

$7.83 €6.96

76.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.39 €1.24

23.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.63 €2.34

46.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.91 €2.59

-64.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.29 $20.29

$25.46 €22.64

-20.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 $10.08

$3.00 €2.66

236.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.44 €1.28

31.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.1 $59.1

$33.20 €29.53

78.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.86 €1.65

-50.54%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$32.3K €28.8K

-14.76%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$31.7K €28.2K

-17.22%

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

$180 $180

$183 €163

-1.32%

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

$40.02 $40.02

$13.61 €12.11

194.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 $55.4

$32.93 €29.29

68.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.85 $24.85

$54.7 €48.65

-54.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 $17.24

$16.52 €14.70

4.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 $11.16

$11.23 €9.99

-0.62%

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

$761 $761

$954 €849

-20.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K $18.1K

$16.6K €14.8K

8.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$86.0 €76.5

-30.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.19 $38.19

$39.11 €34.78

-2.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 $82.8

$104 €92.2

-20.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$119 €106

3.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 $1,131

$1,695 €1,508

-33.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 $945

$1,276 €1,135

-25.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 $1,946

$2,576 €2,291

-24.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 $1,585

$1,922 €1,710

-17.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$7,281 €6,477

-69.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 $1,996

$5,010 €4,456

-60.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,396 $4,396

$2,227 €1,981

97.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

3.28

100.30%

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

Last update for College Station, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Station, TX

$945 45%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 35% $331

Groceries & Markets

College Station, TX

$372 17.7%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 12.6% $47

Eating Out

College Station, TX

$280 13.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 3.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Station, TX

$276 13.1%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 16.8% $46

Clothing & Footwear

College Station, TX

$136 6.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 14.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

College Station, TX

$47 2.3%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 63.6% $30

Getting Around

College Station, TX

$44 2.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 7.6% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in College Station, TX and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Station, TX pays 97% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78.0 in College Station, TX vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

7 h ahead of College Station, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,511

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

College Station, TX Barcelona 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

College Station, TX
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

College Station, TX vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

College Station, TX and Barcelona differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,100 vs $2,381 including rent). College Station, TX is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 97% higher in College Station, TX, 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: $1,131 in College Station, TX versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $761 in College Station, TX versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,100 in College Station, TX versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in College Station, TX but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes College Station, TX 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, College Station, TX 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 College Station, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.