Comparación del coste de vida entre Columbia, SC y Barcelona Comparación del coste de vida entre Columbia, SC y Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,136 in Columbia, SC versus $2,341 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,099 in Columbia, SC versus $3,462 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,062 in Columbia, SC versus $4,582 in Barcelona.

Living in Columbia, SC costs roughly 9% less than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, SC 59% above, Barcelona 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.28 $18.28

$17.61 €15.04

3.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 $60.2

$68.7 €58.7

-12.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$13.75 €11.74

-12.95%

Cappuccino

$3.81 $3.81

$2.76 €2.36

38.04%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$2.78 €2.38

-16.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.05 €1.75

-5.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 $4.54

$4.61 €3.93

-1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 $5.53

$4.59 €3.92

20.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.28 €1.09

-28.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.11 €1.80

26.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.97 €1.68

80.71%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$3.44 €2.94

25.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.57 $9.57

$18.83 €16.08

-49.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.81 $12.81

$9.45 €8.07

35.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.61 $22.61

$19.01 €16.24

18.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.72 €2.32

85.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.37 €2.03

-26.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.08 €1.77

141.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.76 €2.36

19.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.97 €1.68

70.05%

Onion (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.79 €1.53

161.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.51 €1.29

26.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.90 €0.77

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.58 $8.58

$6.76 €5.77

26.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 $14.93

$7.55 €6.44

97.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.44 €1.23

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.41 €2.06

14.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.03 €2.59

-35.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.23 $40.23

$28.39 €24.25

41.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$4.43 €3.78

-55.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.05 €1.75

-28.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.95 $17.95

$29.33 €25.05

-38.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.89 €1.61

-57.67%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$38.7K €33.1K

-21.86%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$32.4K €27.6K

-19.71%

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

$219 $219

$189 €161

15.90%

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

$54.2 $54.2

$22.21 €18.96

144.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.4 $60.4

$36.82 €31.44

64.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.51 $39.51

$58.0 €49.52

-31.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.89 $6.89

$20.99 €17.93

-67.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$11.05 €9.44

34.48%

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

$1,470 $1,470

$726 €620

102.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$15.2K €13.0K

50.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$88.3 €75.4

-37.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.15 $35.15

$36.98 €31.58

-4.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.5 $78.5

$103 €87.6

-23.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$119 €102

-4.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$1,526 €1,304

-13.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$920 $920

$1,218 €1,040

-24.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 $2,181

$2,794 €2,386

-21.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 $1,266

$2,027 €1,731

-37.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,112 $2,112

$7,094 €6,058

-70.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,641 $1,641

$4,849 €4,141

-66.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,209 $3,209

$2,404 €2,053

33.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

3.39

92.92%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Columbia, SC: April 27, 2026

Última actualización para Barcelona: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,313 in Columbia, SC and $1,526 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Columbia, SC vs $69.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $395 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Columbia, SC vs Barcelona: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Columbia, SC and Barcelona differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,136 vs $2,341 including rent). Columbia, SC is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Columbia, SC pays 33% more on average, 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: $1,313 in Columbia, SC versus $1,526 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,470 in Columbia, SC versus $726 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,136 in Columbia, SC versus $2,341 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Columbia, SC but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Columbia, SC 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, Columbia, SC 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 Columbia, SC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.