Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Paul, MN and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Saint Paul, MN and in Barcelona: $2,445 and $2,453 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Saint Paul, MN
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Saint Paul, MN Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Saint Paul, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,445

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,445 in Saint Paul, MN versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Saint Paul, MN $2,445
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in Saint Paul, MN versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Saint Paul, MN $3,672
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,900 in Saint Paul, MN versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Saint Paul, MN $4,900
Barcelona $4,564

Monthly costs are close between Saint Paul, MN and Barcelona; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint Paul, MN 80% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.66 $15.66

$17.59 €15.76

-10.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 $67.8

$67.5 €60.5

0.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$13.53 €12.12

-25.57%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$3.19 €2.86

57.68%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$2.91 €2.61

6.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.89 €1.70

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$4.01 €3.59

50.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$4.53 €4.06

62.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.31 €1.17

-25.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.02 €1.81

88.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.85 €1.66

80.00%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$4.83 €4.33

-38.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 $9.39

$16.74 €15.00

-43.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 $9.66

$9.12 €8.17

5.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$19.64 €17.60

-32.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.98 €2.67

62.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.02 €1.81

-45.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.70 €2.42

117.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.80 €2.51

75.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.09 €1.87

82.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.07 €1.85

68.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.46 €1.31

40.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.94 €0.84

86.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.68 $12.68

$6.87 €6.16

84.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.65 $14.65

$7.89 €7.07

85.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.41 €1.26

19.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.54 €2.27

34.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.14 €2.82

-37.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$25.45 €22.80

307.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.99 €2.68

-15.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.49 €1.34

2.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.02 $31.02

$33.37 €29.91

-7.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.80 €1.61

-42.78%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.2K €29.7K

-18.38%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$31.7K €28.4K

-16.15%

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

$232 $232

$180 €162

28.76%

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

$50.6 $50.6

$13.84 €12.40

265.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 $64.7

$33.70 €30.20

92.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.74 $29.74

$51.5 €46.16

-42.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.50 $8.50

$15.96 €14.30

-46.74%

Cinema Ticket

$13.07 $13.07

$10.99 €9.85

18.93%

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

$1,481 $1,481

$917 €821

61.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K $28.1K

$16.5K €14.8K

70.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.01 $41.01

$87.0 €78.0

-52.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 $40.23

$38.51 €34.51

4.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 $82.1

$106 €94.8

-22.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$120 €107

-7.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 $1,444

$1,699 €1,523

-15.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 $1,153

$1,355 €1,214

-14.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,660 $2,660

$2,603 €2,332

2.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,132 $2,132

$2,062 €1,848

3.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,631 $2,631

$6,915 €6,196

-61.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 $1,949

$5,128 €4,595

-61.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,256 $4,256

$2,211 €1,981

92.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

3.28

92.38%

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

Last update for Saint Paul, MN: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Paul, MN

$1.2K 47.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 17.5% $202

Groceries & Markets

Saint Paul, MN

$360 14.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 10.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Paul, MN

$348 14.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 34.4% $120

Eating Out

Saint Paul, MN

$283 11.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 5.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Paul, MN

$123 5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 28.3% $35

Getting Around

Saint Paul, MN

$122 5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 60.2% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Paul, MN

$56 2.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 31.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,444 in Saint Paul, MN and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Paul, MN pays 93% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Saint Paul, MN vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Paul, MN

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

04:09 4:09 AM

6 h ahead of Saint Paul, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,068

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint Paul, MN Barcelona 7,260 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Paul, MN
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

Saint Paul, MN vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 93% higher in Saint Paul, MN, 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: $1,444 in Saint Paul, MN versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,481 in Saint Paul, MN 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 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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, Saint Paul, MN and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.