Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Joseph, MO and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Joseph, MO and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,536 in St. Joseph, MO versus $2,434 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,765 in St. Joseph, MO versus $3,473 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,994 in St. Joseph, MO versus $4,512 in Barcelona.

Living in St. Joseph, MO is roughly 4% more expensive than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Joseph, MO 85% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.91 $18.91

$18.80 €16.09

0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 $74.9

$69.5 €59.4

7.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 $11.18

$14.08 €12.05

-20.60%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$3.12 €2.66

66.03%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$2.91 €2.49

-14.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.87 €1.60

4.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.00 €3.42

47.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.64 €3.97

47.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.19 €1.02

-12.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.13 €1.82

69.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.84 €1.57

132.61%

Eggs

$4.19 $4.19

$5.13 €4.39

-18.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 $12.30

$16.39 €14.02

-24.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 $11.57

$9.71 €8.31

19.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 $15.23

$19.65 €16.81

-22.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.13 €2.68

52.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.18 €1.87

-25.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.46 €2.11

76.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.77 €2.37

66.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.12 €1.82

35.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.23 €1.90

28.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.49 €1.27

40.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.91 €0.78

129.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 $9.45

$7.26 €6.21

30.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 $14.23

$8.29 €7.09

71.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.54 €1.32

14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.68 €2.30

27.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.07 €2.63

-36.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.93 €22.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.34 €2.86

5.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.88 €1.61

-13.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.75 $28.75

$34.98 €29.92

-17.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.74 €1.49

-52.30%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$36.5K €31.2K

-18.56%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$31.5K €27.0K

-19.80%

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

$190 $190

$183 €156

4.16%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$15.70 €13.43

233.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$36.73 €31.42

85.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.03 $43.03

$53.5 €45.76

-19.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.13 €14.65

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 $13.33

$11.51 €9.85

15.81%

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

$1,289 $1,289

$952 €815

35.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$16.2K €13.8K

45.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$82.5 €70.5

-38.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 $40.48

$40.47 €34.62

0.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$108 €92.2

-20.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$125 €107

-11.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 $1,576

$1,668 €1,426

-5.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 $1,353

$1,288 €1,101

5.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,680 $2,680

$2,663 €2,278

0.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,244 $2,244

$1,904 €1,628

17.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,755 $2,755

$7,513 €6,427

-63.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,492 $2,492

$5,178 €4,429

-51.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,451 €2,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

3.12

108.65%

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

Last update for St. Joseph, MO: August 15, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: August 17, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,576 in St. Joseph, MO and $1,668 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in St. Joseph, MO vs $69.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

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

St. Joseph, MO vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Joseph, MO and Barcelona differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,536 vs $2,434 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,804 in St. Joseph, MO and $3,651 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: $1,576 in St. Joseph, MO versus $1,668 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,289 in St. Joseph, MO versus $952 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $75.0 in St. Joseph, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, St. Joseph, MO 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 4% less than in St. Joseph, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.