Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver, CO and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,212 in Denver, CO, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Denver, CO
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Denver, CO Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Denver, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,212

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,212 in Denver, CO versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Denver, CO $3,212
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,651 in Denver, CO versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Denver, CO $4,651
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,090 in Denver, CO versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Denver, CO $6,090
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Denver, CO is roughly 34% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Denver, CO 138% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$17.94 €15.96

12.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 $85.2

$68.1 €60.5

25.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 $11.74

$13.28 €11.81

-11.60%

Cappuccino

$5.80 $5.80

$3.25 €2.89

78.46%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$3.01 €2.67

-4.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.87 €1.66

22.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 $7.14

$3.85 €3.42

85.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 $8.12

$4.48 €3.98

81.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.29 €1.15

-12.40%

White Bread (500g)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.04 €1.81

168.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.72 €1.53

313.95%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$4.77 €4.24

5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$16.77 €14.92

-0.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.95 $16.95

$8.93 €7.94

89.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.44 $18.44

$19.88 €17.68

-7.24%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.98 €2.65

71.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.03 €1.80

3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.73 €2.43

72.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$2.68 €2.38

98.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.10 €1.87

22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.08 €1.85

31.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.45 €1.29

64.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.89 €0.79

183.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$6.94 €6.17

53.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 $18.83

$7.78 €6.92

142.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.45 €1.29

88.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$2.57 €2.29

41.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.99 €2.66

-9.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 $87.0

$25.20 €22.41

245.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.12 €2.77

10.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.44 €1.28

19.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.36 $30.36

$33.50 €29.80

-9.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.79 €1.59

-43.02%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$34.6K €30.8K

0.59%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$30.1K €26.7K

-14.93%

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

$166 $166

$178 €158

-6.85%

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

$77.1 $77.1

$13.32 €11.85

478.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 $70.3

$34.88 €31.03

101.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 $60.6

$53.3 €47.37

13.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.84 $24.84

$16.01 €14.24

55.15%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$11.06 €9.84

37.16%

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

$2,375 $2,375

$957 €851

148.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K $33.6K

$16.6K €14.7K

102.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 $70.7

$88.2 €78.4

-19.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.74 $45.74

$39.49 €35.12

15.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$103 €91.5

-1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$121 €108

7.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 $1,999

$1,653 €1,470

20.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 $1,703

$1,302 €1,158

30.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,250 $3,250

$2,557 €2,275

27.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,679 $2,679

$1,915 €1,703

39.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,737 $5,737

$7,286 €6,481

-21.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,680 $3,680

$5,080 €4,519

-27.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,540 $4,540

$2,281 €2,029

99.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

3.28

110.37%

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

Last update for Denver, CO: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denver, CO

$1.7K 53%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 23.6% $402

Groceries & Markets

Denver, CO

$500 15.6%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 35.9% $180

Eating Out

Denver, CO

$339 10.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 20.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver, CO

$313 9.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 27.8% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Denver, CO

$156 4.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 1.3% $2.1

Getting Around

Denver, CO

$110 3.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 56.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Denver, CO

$91 2.8%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 17.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,999 in Denver, CO and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denver, CO pays 99% 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: $85.0 in Denver, CO vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $500 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Denver, CO

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

8 h ahead of Denver, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

715,522

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

Denver, CO Barcelona 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver, CO
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

Denver, CO vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Denver, CO and Barcelona differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($3,212 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 99% higher in Denver, CO, 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: $1,999 in Denver, CO versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,375 in Denver, CO 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 56% higher in Denver, CO. 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, Denver, CO 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 34% less than in Denver, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.