Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acapulco and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Acapulco vs $2,399 in Barcelona, rent included.

Acapulco $859
Barcelona $2,399

A couple spends around $1,435 per month in Acapulco vs $3,410 in Barcelona, rent included.

Acapulco $1,435
Barcelona $3,410

A family of three spends $2,012 per month in Acapulco vs $4,421 in Barcelona, rent included.

Acapulco $2,012
Barcelona $4,421

Acapulco is about 64% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Acapulco sits 36% below the global median, while Barcelona is 78% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.48 MX$175

$17.94 €15.96

-47.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.64 MX$696

$68.1 €60.5

-44.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 MX$221

$13.28 €11.81

-9.86%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.5

$3.25 €2.89

15.69%

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

$1.63 MX$30.10

$3.01 €2.67

-45.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$30.65

$1.87 €1.66

-11.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 MX$55.4

$3.85 €3.42

-22.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 MX$88.4

$4.48 €3.98

6.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.36

$1.29 €1.15

23.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$2.04 €1.81

41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.11

$1.72 €1.53

-2.33%

Eggs

$1.79 MX$33.06

$4.77 €4.24

-62.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.64 MX$123

$16.77 €14.92

-60.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 MX$149

$8.93 €7.94

-9.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 MX$199

$19.88 €17.68

-45.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 MX$84.7

$2.98 €2.65

53.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.46

$2.03 €1.80

-18.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.73 €2.43

23.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 MX$57.9

$2.68 €2.38

16.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 MX$64.2

$2.10 €1.87

65.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 MX$54.7

$2.08 €1.85

42.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 MX$24.12

$1.45 €1.29

-9.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.46

$0.89 €0.79

-12.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 MX$151

$6.94 €6.17

17.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 MX$123

$7.78 €6.92

-14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.74

$1.45 €1.29

-22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 MX$49.94

$2.57 €2.29

5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 MX$16.27

$2.99 €2.66

-70.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 MX$89.6

$3.12 €2.77

55.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.16

$1.79 €1.59

-17.88%

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

$21.1K MX$389.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

-39.10%

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

$24.8K MX$458.4K

$30.1K €26.7K

-17.51%

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

$39.89 MX$737

$178 €158

-77.57%

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

$14.81 MX$274

$13.32 €11.85

11.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.72 MX$401

$34.88 €31.03

-37.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.02 MX$351

$53.3 €47.37

-64.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.85 MX$256

$16.01 €14.24

-13.49%

Cinema Ticket

$3.87 MX$71.6

$11.06 €9.84

-65.01%

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

$162 MX$2,994

$957 €851

-83.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 MX$1,191

$88.2 €78.4

-26.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.58 MX$824

$39.49 €35.12

12.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,985

$103 €91.5

4.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 MX$1,538

$121 €108

-31.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 MX$9,593

$1,653 €1,470

-68.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 MX$2,763

$1,302 €1,158

-88.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$17.7K

$2,557 €2,275

-62.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 MX$6,118

$1,915 €1,703

-82.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$449 MX$8,293

$2,281 €2,029

-80.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

3.28

253.66%

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

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Acapulco

$269 31.3%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 19.2% $52

Eating Out

Acapulco

$195 22.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 38.8% $75

Accommodation & Living

Acapulco

$150 17.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 771% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Acapulco

$135 15.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 17.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acapulco

$76 8.9%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 196% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Acapulco

$27 3.1%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 182% $49

Getting Around

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 467% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $519 in Acapulco versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 408% higher in Barcelona, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Acapulco versus $68.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $320 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

16:05 4:05 PM

8 h ahead of Acapulco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,609

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Acapulco Barcelona 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Acapulco
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

Acapulco vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 179% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Acapulco and $3,599 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $859 in Acapulco and $2,399 in Barcelona. That's a gap of about 179%.

Kindergarten costs $162 per month in Acapulco and $957 in Barcelona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Barcelona at $2,399. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Acapulco costs $859 versus $2,399 in Barcelona. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Acapulco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.