Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waco, TX and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Waco, TX: $2,147 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Waco, TX
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Waco, TX Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Waco, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,147

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,147 in Waco, TX versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Waco, TX $2,147
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,955 in Waco, TX versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Waco, TX $2,955
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,763 in Waco, TX versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Waco, TX $3,763
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Waco, TX costs roughly 12% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waco, TX 58% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 $15.17

$17.59 €15.80

-13.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 $59.4

$67.5 €60.6

-11.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$13.53 €12.15

-10.57%

Cappuccino

$5.62 $5.62

$3.19 €2.87

76.18%

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

$1.80 $1.80

$2.91 €2.62

-38.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.89 €1.70

-21.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 $4.90

$4.01 €3.60

22.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 $5.42

$4.53 €4.07

19.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.31 €1.17

-41.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.02 €1.81

65.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.85 €1.66

11.35%

Eggs

$2.87 $2.87

$4.83 €4.34

-40.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.05 $12.05

$16.74 €15.04

-28.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.72 $9.72

$9.12 €8.19

6.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.86 $11.86

$19.64 €17.64

-39.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.98 €2.68

26.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.02 €1.81

-42.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.70 €2.43

41.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.80 €2.52

32.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.09 €1.87

13.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.07 €1.86

43.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.46 €1.31

21.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.94 €0.84

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 $10.11

$6.87 €6.17

47.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$7.89 €7.09

73.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.41 €1.26

24.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.54 €2.28

52.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.14 €2.82

-53.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.46 $39.46

$25.45 €22.86

55.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 $10.06

$2.99 €2.69

236.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.49 €1.34

22.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.7 $60.7

$33.37 €29.99

81.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.80 €1.62

-53.33%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.2K €29.8K

-18.02%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$31.7K €28.5K

-19.27%

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

$180 $180

$180 €162

-0.18%

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

$40.07 $40.07

$13.84 €12.43

189.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 $54.3

$33.70 €30.28

61.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.65 $23.65

$51.5 €46.28

-54.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 $8.86

$10.99 €9.88

-19.38%

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

$760 $760

$917 €824

-17.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$16.5K €14.8K

7.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.06 $48.06

$87.0 €78.2

-44.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.56 $38.56

$38.51 €34.60

0.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 $82.8

$106 €95.1

-21.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 $94.6

$120 €108

-21.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 $1,227

$1,699 €1,527

-27.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 $1,057

$1,355 €1,218

-22.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 $1,388

$2,603 €2,339

-46.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 $1,396

$2,062 €1,853

-32.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,583 $2,583

$6,915 €6,213

-62.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 $1,753

$5,128 €4,607

-65.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,230 $3,230

$2,211 €1,986

46.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

3.28

97.87%

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

Last update for Waco, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waco, TX

$1.1K 49.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 28.2% $298

Groceries & Markets

Waco, TX

$317 14.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 1.5% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waco, TX

$274 12.8%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 16.9% $47

Eating Out

Waco, TX

$274 12.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 2% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Waco, TX

$119 5.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 33% $39

Getting Around

Waco, TX

$65 3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 25% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Waco, TX

$41 1.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 77.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,227 in Waco, TX and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waco, TX pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59 in Waco, TX vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $322 per month, with Waco, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waco, TX

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

6 h ahead of Waco, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,486

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waco, TX Barcelona 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Waco, 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

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

Waco, TX and Barcelona differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,147 vs $2,453 including rent). Waco, TX is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Waco, 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: $1,227 in Waco, TX versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $760 in Waco, TX 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 Waco, TX – a meal for two runs $59 versus $67 in Barcelona. 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.