Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Collins, CO and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Fort Collins, CO
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Fort Collins, CO Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Fort Collins, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,816

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Fort Collins, CO $2,816
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,951 in Fort Collins, CO versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Fort Collins, CO $3,951
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,085 in Fort Collins, CO versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Fort Collins, CO $5,085
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Fort Collins, CO is roughly 15% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort Collins, CO 107% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 $22.88

$17.59 €15.69

30.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$67.5 €60.2

17.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 $11.24

$13.53 €12.07

-16.93%

Cappuccino

$6.22 $6.22

$3.19 €2.85

94.98%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$2.91 €2.60

-12.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.89 €1.69

8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$4.01 €3.58

75.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$4.53 €4.04

52.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.31 €1.16

-21.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.02 €1.80

48.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.85 €1.65

50.81%

Eggs

$4.13 $4.13

$4.83 €4.31

-14.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$16.74 €14.93

-33.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 $9.23

$9.12 €8.14

1.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.48 $19.48

$19.64 €17.52

-0.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.98 €2.66

67.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.02 €1.80

-24.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.70 €2.41

78.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.80 €2.50

91.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.09 €1.86

71.29%

Onion (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.07 €1.85

125.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.46 €1.30

59.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.94 €0.84

89.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.32 $10.32

$6.87 €6.13

50.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 $16.64

$7.89 €7.04

110.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.41 €1.25

75.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.54 €2.26

6.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.99 €2.67

-18.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.49 €1.33

27.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.61 $24.61

$33.37 €29.78

-26.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.80 €1.60

-43.33%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$33.2K €29.6K

-14.57%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$31.7K €28.3K

-17.49%

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

$210 $210

$180 €161

16.47%

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

$56.6 $56.6

$13.84 €12.35

309.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$33.70 €30.06

109.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 $51.8

$51.5 €45.96

0.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.76 $29.76

$15.96 €14.24

86.47%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 $11.96

$10.99 €9.81

8.83%

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

$1,288 $1,288

$917 €818

40.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$16.5K €14.7K

-23.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 $59.1

$87.0 €77.7

-32.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.5 $68.5

$38.51 €34.35

77.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 $81.6

$106 €94.4

-22.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$120 €107

-4.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,817 $1,817

$1,699 €1,516

6.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 $1,499

$1,355 €1,209

10.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,837 $2,837

$2,603 €2,322

8.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 $2,143

$2,062 €1,840

3.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,076 $4,076

$6,915 €6,169

-41.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,793 $2,793

$5,128 €4,575

-45.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,503 $4,503

$2,211 €1,972

103.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

3.28

106.40%

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

Last update for Fort Collins, CO: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Collins, CO

$1.5K 53.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 9.6% $144

Groceries & Markets

Fort Collins, CO

$388 13.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 17% $66

Eating Out

Fort Collins, CO

$359 12.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 25.3% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Collins, CO

$337 12%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 32.4% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Collins, CO

$145 5.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 8.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Collins, CO

$76 2.7%

Barcelona

$74 3% 2.9% $2.2

Getting Around

Fort Collins, CO

$12 * 0.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 306% $37

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 $1,817 in Fort Collins, CO and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Collins, CO pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Fort Collins, CO vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Collins, CO

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

13:31 1:31 PM

8 h ahead of Fort Collins, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,612

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Fort Collins, CO Barcelona 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Collins, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Fort Collins, CO is about 2 times higher, 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: $1,817 in Fort Collins, CO versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,288 in Fort Collins, CO versus $917 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 $67 versus $79 in Fort Collins, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Fort Collins, CO and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Fort Collins, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.