Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hickory, NC and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Hickory, NC: $2,078 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Hickory, NC
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Hickory, NC Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Hickory, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,078

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,078 in Hickory, NC versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Hickory, NC $2,078
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,962 in Hickory, NC versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Hickory, NC $2,962
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,847 in Hickory, NC versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Hickory, NC $3,847
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Hickory, NC costs roughly 15% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hickory, NC 53% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.01 $15.01

$17.59 €15.80

-14.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 $61.7

$67.5 €60.6

-8.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 $11.03

$13.53 €12.15

-18.48%

Cappuccino

$5.00 $5.00

$3.19 €2.87

56.74%

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

$2.23 $2.23

$2.91 €2.62

-23.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.89 €1.70

-16.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 $5.46

$4.01 €3.60

36.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 $6.79

$4.53 €4.07

49.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.31 €1.17

-35.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.02 €1.81

80.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.85 €1.66

68.65%

Eggs

$3.43 $3.43

$4.83 €4.34

-28.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 $10.74

$16.74 €15.03

-35.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 $8.98

$9.12 €8.19

-1.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.00 $17.00

$19.64 €17.64

-13.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.98 €2.68

33.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.02 €1.81

-13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.70 €2.43

-12.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.80 €2.52

-37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.09 €1.87

13.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.07 €1.86

57.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.46 €1.31

22.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.94 €0.84

124.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.00 $9.00

$6.87 €6.17

31.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 $14.93

$7.89 €7.08

89.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.41 €1.26

17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.54 €2.28

15.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$3.14 €2.82

-61.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.59 $44.59

$25.45 €22.86

75.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.99 €2.69

-33.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.49 €1.34

52.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.72 $17.72

$33.37 €29.98

-46.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.80 €1.61

-54.44%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$33.2K €29.8K

-18.56%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$31.7K €28.5K

-17.11%

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

$141 $141

$180 €162

-22.06%

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

$59.9 $59.9

$13.84 €12.43

332.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 $54.1

$33.70 €30.27

60.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.46 $27.46

$51.5 €46.27

-46.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$14.27 $14.27

$10.99 €9.88

29.85%

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

$354 $354

$917 €823

-61.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$16.5K €14.8K

53.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.75 $40.75

$87.0 €78.2

-53.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.24 $20.24

$38.51 €34.59

-47.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.51 $39.51

$106 €95.1

-62.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.94 $49.94

$120 €108

-58.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 $1,299

$1,699 €1,527

-23.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 $1,030

$1,355 €1,217

-24.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 $1,688

$2,603 €2,338

-35.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 $1,522

$2,062 €1,853

-26.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,141 $2,141

$6,915 €6,211

-69.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,163 $2,163

$5,128 €4,606

-57.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 $4,526

$2,211 €1,986

104.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

3.28

68.60%

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

Last update for Hickory, NC: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hickory, NC

$1K 49.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 31.6% $325

Groceries & Markets

Hickory, NC

$338 16.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 4.8% $16

Eating Out

Hickory, NC

$269 13%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 0.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hickory, NC

$255 12.3%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 10.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Hickory, NC

$68 3.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 133% $90

Getting Around

Hickory, NC

$63 3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 22.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Hickory, NC

$56 2.7%

Barcelona

$74 3% 31.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,299 in Hickory, NC and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hickory, NC pays about 2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Hickory, NC vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $338 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hickory, NC

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

15:57 3:57 PM

5 h ahead of Hickory, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,374

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hickory, NC Barcelona 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hickory, NC
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

Hickory, NC vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hickory, NC and Barcelona differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,078 vs $2,453 including rent). Hickory, NC is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Hickory, NC 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: $1,299 in Hickory, NC versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $354 in Hickory, NC versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Hickory, NC gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.