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Barcelona vs Minneapolis

Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.

Barcelona, ES vs Minneapolis, MN at a glance — Minneapolis, MN is 1% cheaper than Barcelona, ES overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,450/mo versus $1,350/mo. Top income tax: 37% vs 47%.

$/ year

To keep the same standard of living in Minneapolis, MN, you'd need

$74,301 / year

Minneapolis, MN is 1% cheaper overall

Category breakdown (Minneapolis, MN vs Barcelona, ES)

  • Housing-13%
  • Food & groceries+1%
  • Transport+29%
  • Utilities-13%
  • Healthcare+31%
  • Goods & services+1%

◎ How Barcelona, ES and Minneapolis, MN compare

HousingFood & groceriesTransportUtilitiesHealthcareGoods & services
Barcelona, ESMinneapolis, MN

Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.

▤ Full comparison

Barcelona, ESMinneapolis, MN
Cost of living
Overall cost index105104
Housing125109
Food100101
Transport80103
Utilities11096
Healthcare80105
Goods & services102103
Housing
Rent, 1-bed centre$1,350/mo$1,450/mo
Rent, 1-bed outside$1,000/mo$1,150/mo
Rent, 3-bed centre$2,700/mo$2,600/mo
Buy price / m² centre$5,500$3,800
Money & purchasing power
$1,000 goes as far as$951$960
Inexpensive meal$15$18
Monthly transit pass$60$96
Taxes
Income tax (top rate)47%37%
VAT / sales tax21%0%
Social security (employee)6.4%7.7%
Corporate tax25%21%
Capital gains28%20%
Economy & salaries
Avg net salary$1,900/mo$4,300/mo
Minimum wage$1,652/mo✓$1,257/mo✓
GDP per capita$38,627✓$90,027✓
Inflation (annual)2.7%✓—
Work & digital nomad
Digital-nomad visaYesNo
English proficiencyModerateNative
Coworking spaces8040
Time zoneUTC+1UTC-6
Quality of life
Quality of life (overall)7365
Safety index5555
Healthcare index8082
Pollution index5035
Internet speed200 Mbps200 Mbps
Walkability9070
Public transport8858
Family-friendly6670
Tap waterSafe to drinkSafe to drink
Health insurance—$450/mo
Life expectancy84 yr✓79 yr✓
LGBTQ+ acceptanceHighHigh
Climate
January avg+10 °C-8 °C
July avg+25 °C+23 °C
Sunny days / year250198
Rainfall / year640 mm800 mm
Connectivity
Flight to nearest hub1 h1.5 h

Taxes & Economy & salaries: Spain vs United States. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.

✓ = official statistics (Eurostat 2026, US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →

Cost of living: Barcelona vs Minneapolis — in your currency

BarcelonaMinneapolis
1-bed rent, city centre$1,350$1,450
1-bed rent, outside centre$1,000$1,150
Inexpensive meal$15$18
Monthly transit pass$60$96
Utilities (monthly)$150$160

Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).

Good to know before you move to Barcelona

Beach, Gaudí and a huge digital-nomad scene — the trade-off is tourism pressure on housing.

Currency
Euro (€ EUR)
Languages
Spanish
Time zone
UTC+1
Internet
200 Mbps
English
Fairly common
Safety
55/100
Climate
❄ 10°C · ☀ 25°C · 250 sunny days/yr
Tap water
Safe to drink
Power
F · 230V
Driving
Right-hand side
Popular areas
Gràcia · El Born · Poblenou

Good to know before you move to Minneapolis

High quality of life, strong jobs and lakes everywhere — winters are seriously cold.

Currency
US dollar ($ USD)
Languages
English
Time zone
UTC-6
Internet
200 Mbps
English
Native language
Safety
55/100
Climate
❄ -8°C · ☀ 23°C · 198 sunny days/yr
Tap water
Safe to drink
Power
A/B · 120V
Driving
Right-hand side
Popular areas
North Loop · Uptown · Northeast

? Frequently asked questions

Moving from Barcelona to Minneapolis: cheaper or more expensive?

Moving from Barcelona to Minneapolis, your cost of living will be roughly 1% cheaper. Minneapolis’s cost-of-living index is 104 versus 105 for Barcelona (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.

Is Barcelona cheaper than Minneapolis?

Minneapolis is about 1% cheaper than Barcelona overall — its cost-of-living index is 104 versus 105 for Barcelona.

Which is more expensive, Barcelona or Minneapolis?

Barcelona is more expensive than Minneapolis. Its cost-of-living index is 105 vs 104 (US = 100) — about 1% higher.

Is rent cheaper in Barcelona or Minneapolis?

Rent is cheaper in Barcelona — about $1,350/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,450 in Minneapolis.

How much do you need to earn in Minneapolis to live like in Barcelona?

To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Barcelona is worth about $74,301 in Minneapolis. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.

Which has lower taxes, Barcelona or Minneapolis?

United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 47% in Spain.

◷ More comparisons from Barcelona

How we calculate these figures →

Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.