Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McKinney, TX and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,789 in McKinney, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in McKinney, TX
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McKinney, TX Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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McKinney, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,789

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,789 in McKinney, TX versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

McKinney, TX $2,789
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in McKinney, TX versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

McKinney, TX $3,710
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,630 in McKinney, TX versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

McKinney, TX $4,630
Barcelona $4,421

Living in McKinney, TX is roughly 16% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: McKinney, TX 107% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.90 $18.90

$17.94 €15.96

5.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$68.1 €60.5

-13.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$13.28 €11.81

-18.60%

Cappuccino

$5.05 $5.05

$3.25 €2.89

55.38%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$3.01 €2.67

-14.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.87 €1.66

-4.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$3.85 €3.42

52.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.59 $7.59

$4.48 €3.98

69.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.29 €1.15

-26.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.04 €1.81

36.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.72 €1.53

34.88%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$4.77 €4.24

-14.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 $10.16

$16.77 €14.92

-39.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.51 $15.51

$8.93 €7.94

73.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.84 $16.84

$19.88 €17.68

-15.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.98 €2.65

2.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.03 €1.80

40.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.73 €2.43

8.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.68 €2.38

-1.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.10 €1.87

3.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.08 €1.85

0.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.45 €1.29

18.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.89 €0.79

234.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.05 $11.05

$6.94 €6.17

59.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.47 $11.47

$7.78 €6.92

47.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.45 €1.29

20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.57 €2.29

39.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.99 €2.66

3.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$189 $189

$25.20 €22.41

649.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.12 €2.77

-6.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.74 $14.74

$33.50 €29.80

-56.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.79 €1.59

-48.04%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$34.6K €30.8K

4.10%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

-17.69%

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

$200 $200

$178 €158

12.71%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$13.32 €11.85

346.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$34.88 €31.03

98.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.36 $30.36

$53.3 €47.37

-42.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 $12.81

$16.01 €14.24

-19.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 $11.85

$11.06 €9.84

7.14%

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

$1,345 $1,345

$957 €851

40.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$88.2 €78.4

-35.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.95 $28.95

$39.49 €35.12

-26.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$103 €91.5

-14.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 $59.8

$121 €108

-50.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 $1,673

$1,653 €1,470

1.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 $1,420

$1,302 €1,158

9.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 $2,639

$2,557 €2,275

3.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 $1,704

$1,915 €1,703

-11.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,323 $2,323

$7,286 €6,481

-68.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,294 $2,294

$5,080 €4,519

-54.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,805 $5,805

$2,281 €2,029

154.54%

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 McKinney, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

McKinney, TX

$1.4K 50.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 8.3% $118

Groceries & Markets

McKinney, TX

$371 13.3%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 13.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McKinney, TX

$329 11.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 31.3% $103

Eating Out

McKinney, TX

$306 11%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 11.8% $36

Getting Around

McKinney, TX

$204 * 7.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 76.7% $157

Clothing & Footwear

McKinney, TX

$105 3.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 51% $54

Sport & Entertainment

McKinney, TX

$54 1.9%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 39.4% $21

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 $1,673 in McKinney, TX and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McKinney, TX pays 155% 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: $59.0 in McKinney, TX vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $371 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McKinney, TX

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:24 6:24 PM

01:24 1:24 AM

7 h ahead of McKinney, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,690

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

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Between locations

McKinney, TX Barcelona 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

McKinney, TX
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

McKinney, TX vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

McKinney, TX and Barcelona differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,789 vs $2,399 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 155% higher in McKinney, TX, 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: $1,673 in McKinney, TX versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,345 in McKinney, TX versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in McKinney, TX. 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, McKinney, TX 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 16% less than in McKinney, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.