Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kauai, Hawaii and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,605 in Kauai, Hawaii, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Kauai, Hawaii despite lower rent and utilities.

127

Cost of Living Index in Kauai, Hawaii
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Kauai, Hawaii Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Kauai, Hawaii

🇺🇸 United States

$2,605

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,605 in Kauai, Hawaii versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Kauai, Hawaii $2,605
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,851 in Kauai, Hawaii versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Kauai, Hawaii $3,851
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,097 in Kauai, Hawaii versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Kauai, Hawaii $5,097
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Kauai, Hawaii is roughly 6% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kauai, Hawaii 91% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.36 $19.36

$17.59 €15.80

10.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 $75.8

$67.5 €60.6

12.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 $10.98

$13.53 €12.15

-18.85%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.19 €2.87

55.17%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$2.91 €2.62

-13.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.89 €1.70

3.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$4.01 €3.60

51.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 $6.97

$4.53 €4.07

53.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.31 €1.17

-24.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.02 €1.81

72.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.85 €1.66

130.81%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$4.83 €4.34

-15.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.44 $12.44

$16.74 €15.03

-25.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 $11.49

$9.12 €8.19

25.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.60 $15.60

$19.64 €17.64

-20.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.98 €2.68

60.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.02 €1.81

-20.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.70 €2.43

61.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.80 €2.52

63.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.09 €1.87

37.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.07 €1.86

39.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.46 €1.31

36.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.94 €0.84

130.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 $9.47

$6.87 €6.17

37.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$7.89 €7.08

75.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.41 €1.26

25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.54 €2.28

35.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.14 €2.82

-34.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 $55.5

$25.45 €22.86

118.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.99 €2.69

18.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.49 €1.34

5.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.13 $29.13

$33.37 €29.98

-12.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.80 €1.61

-53.33%

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

$29.3K $29.3K

$33.2K €29.8K

-11.78%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$31.7K €28.5K

-18.19%

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

$185 $185

$180 €162

2.36%

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

$53.9 $53.9

$13.84 €12.43

289.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$33.70 €30.27

102.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.26 $43.26

$51.5 €46.27

-16.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 $13.53

$10.99 €9.88

23.11%

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

$1,282 $1,282

$917 €823

39.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$16.5K €14.8K

40.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 $50.1

$87.0 €78.2

-42.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.37 $39.37

$38.51 €34.59

2.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 $85.0

$106 €95.1

-19.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$120 €108

-6.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,605 $1,605

$1,699 €1,527

-5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 $1,329

$1,355 €1,217

-1.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,647 $2,647

$2,603 €2,338

1.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,266 $2,266

$2,062 €1,853

9.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,817 $2,817

$6,915 €6,211

-59.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$5,128 €4,606

-51.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

3.28

98.48%

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

Last update for Kauai, Hawaii: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kauai, Hawaii

$1.3K 51%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 2% $27

Groceries & Markets

Kauai, Hawaii

$385 14.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 16.5% $64

Eating Out

Kauai, Hawaii

$309 11.9%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 13.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kauai, Hawaii

$307 11.8%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 25.7% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Kauai, Hawaii

$129 5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 22.4% $29

Getting Around

Kauai, Hawaii

$75 2.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 35.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Kauai, Hawaii

$70 2.7%

Barcelona

$74 3% 4.5% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,605 in Kauai, Hawaii and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76 in Kauai, Hawaii vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kauai, Hawaii

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

16:13 4:13 PM

11 h ahead of Kauai, Hawaii

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,610

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

Kauai, Hawaii Barcelona 12,710 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Kauai, Hawaii
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

Kauai, Hawaii vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kauai, Hawaii and Barcelona differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,605 vs $2,453 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,907 in Kauai, Hawaii and $3,679 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: $1,605 in Kauai, Hawaii versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,282 in Kauai, Hawaii versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Kauai, Hawaii. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Barcelona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,453 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Barcelona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kauai, Hawaii 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.