Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Alges

For one person, living is cheaper in Alges: $2,004 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Alges
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Alges Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Alges

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Alges actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $2,004 in Alges, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Alges $2,004

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $2,863 in Alges, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Alges $2,863

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $3,722 in Alges, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Alges $3,722

Barcelona costs about 22% more than Alges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Barcelona and Alges sit above the global median – Barcelona by 80%, Alges by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$15.79 €14.18

11.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$55.3 €49.66

22.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$9.74 €8.75

38.91%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.60 €2.34

22.69%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.34 €2.10

24.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.22 €2.00

-14.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.31 €2.97

21.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.45 €4.90

-16.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.04 €0.93

25.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.94 €1.74

4.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.15 €1.94

-13.95%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.50 €3.14

38.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$11.06 €9.93

51.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$7.08 €6.36

28.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$15.13 €13.59

29.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.87 €2.58

3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.38 €1.24

46.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.84 €1.65

46.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.24 €2.01

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.59 €1.43

31.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.11 €1.89

-1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.55 €1.39

-5.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.85 €0.76

10.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$5.69 €5.11

20.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$5.00 €4.49

57.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.19 €1.07

18.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.09 €2.77

-17.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.25 €2.02

39.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$44.18 €39.69

-42.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$4.59 €4.13

-34.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.91 €0.82

63.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$17.55 €15.77

90.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.09 €1.88

-13.88%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$33.6K €30.1K

-1.10%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$38.6K €34.6K

-17.79%

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

$180 €162

$133 €119

36.11%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$24.97 €22.43

-44.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$55.0 €49.36

-38.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$43.60 €39.16

18.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$17.23 €15.48

-7.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$7.42 €6.66

48.11%

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

$917 €823

$591 €531

55.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$18.8K €16.9K

-12.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$77.1 €69.3

12.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$33.93 €30.48

13.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$88.4 €79.4

19.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$95.5 €85.8

25.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,211 €1,088

40.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,051 €944

28.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,052 €1,843

26.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,576 €1,416

30.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,135 €2,817

120.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,271 €2,040

125.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,221 €1,097

81.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.67

-10.63%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alges: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Alges

$1.1K 52.4% 22.5% $304

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Alges

$255 12.7% 20.8% $67

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Alges

$232 11.6% 13.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Alges

$212 10.6% 6.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Alges

$133 6.6% 16% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Alges

$58 2.9% 20.5% $15

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Alges

$62 3.1% 28.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,211 in Alges. 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 81% higher in Barcelona. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $55 in Alges. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $255 – making Alges the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇹 Alges

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

19,327

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Alges 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Alges

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

Barcelona vs Alges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona, $2,004 in Alges – Alges comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $3,006 in Alges. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alges, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,211 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

Kindergarten costs $917 per month in Barcelona and $591 in Alges. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Barcelona, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,004 in Alges, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Alges has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,004 in Alges to $2,453 in Barcelona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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