Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Union, SC and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Union, SC and in Barcelona: $2,296 and $2,381 a month, rent and utilities included.

113

Cost of Living Index in Union, SC
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Union, SC Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Union, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,296

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,296 in Union, SC versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Union, SC $2,296
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,597 in Union, SC versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Union, SC $3,597
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,897 in Union, SC versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Union, SC $4,897
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Union, SC costs roughly 4% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Union, SC 69% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.15 $9.15

$17.89 €15.92

-48.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$66.2 €58.9

49.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 $8.51

$13.69 €12.18

-37.84%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$3.06 €2.72

95.42%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$3.07 €2.73

-24.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.94 €1.73

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.87 €3.44

-27.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$4.61 €4.10

-25.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.30 €1.16

-17.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.10 €1.87

55.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.83 €1.62

33.88%

Eggs

$3.30 $3.30

$4.62 €4.11

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$17.36 €15.44

-48.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$9.28 €8.25

43.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$19.83 €17.64

-25.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.01 €2.68

-6.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.03 €1.81

-35.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.65 €2.36

22.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.87 €2.55

54.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.16 €1.92

9.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.15 €1.91

-1.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.47 €1.31

19.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.88 €0.79

46.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 $8.35

$6.93 €6.16

20.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$7.83 €6.96

11.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.39 €1.24

28.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.63 €2.34

96.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.91 €2.59

-28.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 $4.62

$3.00 €2.66

54.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.44 €1.28

109.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.96 $34.96

$33.20 €29.53

5.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.86 €1.65

-51.08%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$32.3K €28.8K

-13.51%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$31.7K €28.2K

-20.39%

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

$177 $177

$183 €163

-3.12%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$13.61 €12.11

376.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.72 $45.72

$32.93 €29.29

38.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 $41.73

$54.7 €48.65

-23.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$11.23 €9.99

17.28%

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

$2,585 $2,585

$954 €849

170.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$16.6K €14.8K

38.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.21 $47.21

$86.0 €76.5

-45.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.96 $20.96

$39.11 €34.78

-46.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 $85.6

$104 €92.2

-17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 $99.0

$119 €106

-16.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 $1,390

$1,695 €1,508

-17.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 $1,259

$1,276 €1,135

-1.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$2,576 €2,291

-14.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,419 $2,419

$1,922 €1,710

25.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,700 $2,700

$7,281 €6,477

-62.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,125 $2,125

$5,010 €4,456

-57.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,496 $2,496

$2,227 €1,981

12.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

21.95%

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

Last update for Union, SC: 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

Union, SC

$1.3K 54.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 1.4% $17

Groceries & Markets

Union, SC

$332 14.4%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 2% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union, SC

$288 12.5%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 20.3% $58

Eating Out

Union, SC

$208 9.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 29.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Union, SC

$114 5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 37.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Union, SC

$68 3%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 13.4% $9.1

Getting Around

Union, SC

$28 * 1.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 68.5% $19

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 $1,390 in Union, SC and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Union, SC pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $99.0 in Union, SC vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union, SC

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

11:32 11:32 AM

6 h ahead of Union, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Union, SC Barcelona 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Union, SC
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

Union, SC vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Union, SC and Barcelona differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,296 vs $2,381 including rent). Union, SC is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Union, SC, 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: $1,390 in Union, SC versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,585 in Union, SC versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Union, SC – a meal for two runs $99.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,296 in Union, SC versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Union, SC but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Union, SC the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Union, SC 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 Union, SC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.