Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knoxville, TN and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,576 in Knoxville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Knoxville, TN
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Knoxville, TN Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Knoxville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,576

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,576 in Knoxville, TN versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Knoxville, TN $2,576
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,786 in Knoxville, TN versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Knoxville, TN $3,786
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,997 in Knoxville, TN versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Knoxville, TN $4,997
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Knoxville, TN is roughly 8% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Knoxville, TN 90% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 $17.71

$17.89 €15.92

-1.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$66.2 €58.9

12.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 $9.86

$13.69 €12.18

-27.98%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.06 €2.72

75.82%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$3.07 €2.73

-7.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.94 €1.73

41.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 $6.36

$3.87 €3.44

64.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 $6.60

$4.61 €4.10

43.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.30 €1.16

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.10 €1.87

65.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.83 €1.62

149.18%

Eggs

$4.46 $4.46

$4.62 €4.11

-3.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$17.36 €15.44

-41.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 $9.22

$9.28 €8.25

-0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 $14.91

$19.83 €17.64

-24.81%

Apples (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$3.01 €2.68

133.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.03 €1.81

-23.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.65 €2.36

8.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.87 €2.55

94.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.16 €1.92

Onion (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.15 €1.91

102.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.47 €1.31

51.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.88 €0.79

148.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.99 $8.99

$6.93 €6.16

29.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$7.83 €6.96

94.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.39 €1.24

37.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.63 €2.34

19.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.91 €2.59

-64.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.58 $29.58

$25.46 €22.64

16.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.00 €2.66

70.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.44 €1.28

4.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.87 $29.87

$33.20 €29.53

-10.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.86 €1.65

-45.70%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-13.84%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$31.7K €28.2K

-13.94%

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

$223 $223

$183 €163

22.18%

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

$74.4 $74.4

$13.61 €12.11

446.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 $53.1

$32.93 €29.29

61.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.37 $29.37

$54.7 €48.65

-46.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.90 $21.90

$16.52 €14.70

32.57%

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 $15.20

$11.23 €9.99

35.35%

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

$1,246 $1,246

$954 €849

30.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$16.6K €14.8K

47.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$86.0 €76.5

-40.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.53 $45.53

$39.11 €34.78

16.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$104 €92.2

7.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$119 €106

3.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,695 €1,508

6.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$1,276 €1,135

0.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,901 $2,901

$2,576 €2,291

12.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,144 $2,144

$1,922 €1,710

11.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,681 $4,681

$7,281 €6,477

-35.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,243 $2,243

$5,010 €4,456

-55.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,622 $3,622

$2,227 €1,981

62.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.28

102.44%

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

Last update for Knoxville, TN: 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

Knoxville, TN

$1.3K 49.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 0.6% $7.9

Groceries & Markets

Knoxville, TN

$383 14.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 15.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knoxville, TN

$351 13.6%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 34.6% $121

Eating Out

Knoxville, TN

$303 11.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 11.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Knoxville, TN

$149 5.8%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 4.9% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Knoxville, TN

$60 2.3%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 29.1% $17

Getting Around

Knoxville, TN

$46 1.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 2.2% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,811 in Knoxville, TN and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Knoxville, TN pays 63% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $75.0 in Knoxville, TN vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Knoxville, TN

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

6 h ahead of Knoxville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,740

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

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Between locations

Knoxville, TN Barcelona 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Knoxville, TN
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

Knoxville, TN vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Knoxville, TN and Barcelona differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,576 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Knoxville, TN, 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: $1,811 in Knoxville, TN versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,246 in Knoxville, TN versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Knoxville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Knoxville, TN 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 8% less than in Knoxville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.