Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thornton, CO and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,887 in Thornton, CO, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Thornton, CO
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Thornton, CO Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Thornton, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,887

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,887 in Thornton, CO versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Thornton, CO $2,887
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,977 in Thornton, CO versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Thornton, CO $3,977
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,068 in Thornton, CO versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Thornton, CO $5,068
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Thornton, CO is roughly 18% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thornton, CO 112% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$17.59 €15.80

14.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 $84.0

$67.5 €60.6

24.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.03 $13.03

$13.53 €12.15

-3.70%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.19 €2.87

84.95%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$2.91 €2.62

3.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.89 €1.70

20.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.01 €3.60

77.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.53 €4.07

77.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.31 €1.17

-18.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.02 €1.81

60.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.85 €1.66

131.89%

Eggs

$5.10 $5.10

$4.83 €4.34

5.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 $14.77

$16.74 €15.03

-11.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$9.12 €8.19

50.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$19.64 €17.64

-2.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.98 €2.68

76.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.02 €1.81

6.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.70 €2.43

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.80 €2.52

66.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.09 €1.87

26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.07 €1.86

20.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.46 €1.31

64.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.94 €0.84

158.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.20 $10.20

$6.87 €6.17

48.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 $19.18

$7.89 €7.08

143.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.41 €1.26

97.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.54 €2.28

87.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.99 €2.69

13.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.49 €1.34

-6.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.76 $24.76

$33.37 €29.98

-25.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.80 €1.61

-42.78%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$33.2K €29.8K

-14.04%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$31.7K €28.5K

-17.46%

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

$165 $165

$180 €162

-8.62%

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

$77.5 $77.5

$13.84 €12.43

460.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 $86.6

$33.70 €30.27

157.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 $55.7

$51.5 €46.27

8.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.96 $9.96

$15.96 €14.34

-37.59%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$10.99 €9.88

36.67%

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

$1,579 $1,579

$917 €823

72.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$16.5K €14.8K

49.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 $58.3

$87.0 €78.2

-33.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.21 $39.21

$38.51 €34.59

1.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 $83.1

$106 €95.1

-21.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$120 €108

3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 $1,743

$1,699 €1,527

2.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 $1,535

$1,355 €1,217

13.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,628 $2,628

$2,603 €2,338

0.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 $2,029

$2,062 €1,853

-1.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,576 $5,576

$2,211 €1,986

152.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

3.28

104.88%

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

Last update for Thornton, CO: 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

Thornton, CO

$1.5K 53.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 11.7% $180

Groceries & Markets

Thornton, CO

$445 15.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 27.7% $123

Eating Out

Thornton, CO

$344 11.9%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 22.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thornton, CO

$329 11.4%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 30.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Thornton, CO

$137 4.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 15.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Thornton, CO

$86 3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 14.2% $12

Getting Around

Thornton, CO

$10 * 0.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 368% $38

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 $1,743 in Thornton, CO and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thornton, CO pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Thornton, CO vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $445 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Thornton, CO

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

20:59 8:59 PM

7 h ahead of Thornton, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,478

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Thornton, CO Barcelona 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Thornton, CO
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

Thornton, CO vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,887 in Thornton, CO and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Thornton, CO is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $1,743 in Thornton, CO versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,579 in Thornton, CO versus $917 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 $67 versus $84 in Thornton, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Thornton, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.