Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hays, KS and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Hays, KS: $1,737 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Hays, KS
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Hays, KS Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Hays, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,737

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,737 in Hays, KS versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Hays, KS $1,737
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,467 in Hays, KS versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Hays, KS $2,467
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,198 in Hays, KS versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Hays, KS $3,198
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Hays, KS costs roughly 27% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hays, KS 28% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 $13.33

$17.89 €15.92

-25.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 $43.87

$66.2 €58.9

-33.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 $8.11

$13.69 €12.18

-40.76%

Cappuccino

$3.98 $3.98

$3.06 €2.72

30.07%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$3.07 €2.73

-22.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.94 €1.73

-47.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.87 €3.44

-0.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.61 €4.10

-6.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.30 €1.16

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.10 €1.87

7.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.83 €1.62

143.72%

Eggs

$2.06 $2.06

$4.62 €4.11

-55.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$17.36 €15.44

-74.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 $8.93

$9.28 €8.25

-3.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$19.83 €17.64

-32.78%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.01 €2.68

100.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.03 €1.81

-19.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.65 €2.36

90.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.87 €2.55

54.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.16 €1.92

35.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.15 €1.91

0.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.47 €1.31

34.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.88 €0.79

130.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 $9.68

$6.93 €6.16

39.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 $12.15

$7.83 €6.96

55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.39 €1.24

60.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.63 €2.34

46.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.91 €2.59

-30.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.00 €2.66

-19.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.44 €1.28

9.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 $39.71

$33.20 €29.53

19.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.86 €1.65

-50.54%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$32.3K €28.8K

-13.19%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$31.7K €28.2K

-18.14%

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

$269 $269

$183 €163

47.01%

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

$34.85 $34.85

$13.61 €12.11

156.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$32.93 €29.29

109.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 $45.17

$54.7 €48.65

-17.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$11.23 €9.99

35.44%

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

$922 $922

$954 €849

-3.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K $15.7K

$16.6K €14.8K

-5.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.68 $23.68

$86.0 €76.5

-72.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.82 $31.82

$39.11 €34.78

-18.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$104 €92.2

5.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$119 €106

16.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$793 $793

$1,695 €1,508

-53.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 $589

$1,276 €1,135

-53.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 $1,034

$2,576 €2,291

-59.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 $895

$1,922 €1,710

-53.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,386 $2,386

$7,281 €6,477

-67.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 $2,615

$5,010 €4,456

-47.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,386 $2,386

$2,227 €1,981

7.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

3.28

102.74%

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

Last update for Hays, KS: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hays, KS

$589 33.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 117% $687

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hays, KS

$372 21.4%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 38.4% $143

Groceries & Markets

Hays, KS

$325 18.7%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Hays, KS

$220 12.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 22.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Hays, KS

$136 7.9%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 14.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Hays, KS

$76 4.4%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 2.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Hays, KS

$18 * 1.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 158% $29

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 $793 in Hays, KS and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hays, KS pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Hays, KS vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $325 per month, with Hays, KS cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hays, KS

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

7 h ahead of Hays, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,726

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hays, KS Barcelona 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hays, KS
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

Hays, KS vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hays, KS and Barcelona differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,737 vs $2,381 including rent). Hays, KS is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Hays, KS, 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: $793 in Hays, KS versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $922 in Hays, KS versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hays, KS – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,737 in Hays, KS versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hays, KS but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Hays, KS 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, Hays, KS 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 Hays, KS gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.