Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,666 in Denver, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Denver
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Denver Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Denver

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,666

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,666 in Denver versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Denver $2,666
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,649 in Denver versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Denver $3,649
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,631 in Denver versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Denver $4,631
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Denver is roughly 11% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Denver 98% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 A$24.37

$17.94 €15.96

-5.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.2 A$137

$68.1 €60.5

39.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 A$15.43

$13.28 €11.81

-19.28%

Cappuccino

$4.40 A$6.33

$3.25 €2.89

35.38%

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

$2.80 A$4.03

$3.01 €2.67

-6.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 A$3.68

$1.87 €1.66

36.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 A$11.27

$3.85 €3.42

103.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 A$10.74

$4.48 €3.98

66.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.92

$1.29 €1.15

3.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 A$4.31

$2.04 €1.81

46.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.65

$1.72 €1.53

47.09%

Eggs

$5.49 A$7.89

$4.77 €4.24

15.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 A$14.02

$16.77 €14.91

-41.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 A$15.16

$8.93 €7.94

18.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.60 A$18.12

$19.88 €17.68

-36.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 A$5.48

$2.98 €2.65

27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.49

$2.03 €1.80

53.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.37

$2.73 €2.43

11.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 A$7.31

$2.68 €2.38

89.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$2.10 €1.87

35.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.08 €1.85

4.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.45

$1.45 €1.29

65.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 A$2.07

$0.89 €0.79

61.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.07 A$62.0

$6.94 €6.17

520.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.42 A$20.76

$7.78 €6.92

85.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.92 A$7.08

$1.45 €1.29

239.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 A$7.86

$2.57 €2.29

112.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 A$3.82

$2.99 €2.66

-11.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 A$128

$25.20 €22.41

252.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.73

$3.12 €2.77

27.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.44 €1.28

13.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.09 A$54.8

$33.50 €29.80

13.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.79 €1.59

-19.55%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

-16.28%

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

$31.1K A$44.8K

$30.1K €26.7K

3.46%

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

$210 A$302

$178 €158

17.82%

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

$27.33 A$39.33

$13.32 €11.85

105.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 A$84.3

$34.88 €31.02

67.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 A$76.7

$53.3 €47.36

0.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.34 A$26.39

$16.01 €14.24

14.55%

Cinema Ticket

$16.27 A$23.41

$11.06 €9.84

47.11%

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

$2,199 A$3,165

$957 €851

129.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K A$32.6K

$16.6K €14.7K

36.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 A$98.2

$88.2 €78.4

-22.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.94 A$70.4

$39.49 €35.12

23.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$150

$103 €91.4

1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$181

$121 €108

3.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 A$1,846

$1,653 €1,470

-22.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 A$1,938

$1,302 €1,158

3.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$2,557 €2,275

-24.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 A$2,345

$1,915 €1,703

-14.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,041 A$8,692

$7,286 €6,480

-17.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,705 A$6,770

$5,080 €4,518

-7.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,028

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.28

78.05%

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

Last update for Denver: 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

Denver

$1.3K 50.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 3.3% $45

Groceries & Markets

Denver

$375 14.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 14.5% $54

Eating Out

Denver

$296 11.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 8.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver

$295 11.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 23.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Denver

$156 5.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 1.3% $2

Getting Around

Denver

$112 4.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 57.5% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Denver

$86 3.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 12.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,283 in Denver and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $95.0 in Denver vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Denver

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

18:40 6:40 PM

9 h behind Denver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Denver Barcelona 16,750 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver
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 vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Denver and Barcelona differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,666 vs $2,399 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,000 in Denver and $3,599 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,283 in Denver versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,199 in Denver 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 17% higher in Denver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,666 in Denver, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Denver. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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, Denver 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 11% less than in Denver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.