Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Algiers

For one person, living is cheaper in Algiers: $585 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Algiers
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Algiers Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Algiers

🇩🇿 Algeria

$585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Algiers

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 Algiers actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $585 in Algiers.

Barcelona $2,453
Algiers $585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $962 in Algiers.

Barcelona $3,509
Algiers $962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,339 in Algiers.

Barcelona $4,564
Algiers $1,339

Living in Barcelona is roughly 319% more expensive than in Algiers, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Algiers is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$3.31 DZD 446

431.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$27.66 DZD 3,721

144.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$4.34 DZD 584

211.75%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.12 DZD 151

184.82%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.58 DZD 78.6

401.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.27 DZD 35.87

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.29 DZD 308

75.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.28 DZD 307

98.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.84 DZD 112

55.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.14 DZD 18.25

1342.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.16 DZD 156

59.48%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.19 DZD 160

305.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$8.12 DZD 1,092

106.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$3.97 DZD 535

129.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.15 DZD 1,904

38.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.01 DZD 270

48.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.74 DZD 369

-26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.12 DZD 150

141.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.90 DZD 121

211.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.59 DZD 79.3

254.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.45 DZD 60.3

360.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.75 DZD 101

94.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.27 DZD 36.68

248.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$3.14 DZD 422

118.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.87 DZD 925

14.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.26 DZD 170

11.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.91 DZD 257

32.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.39 DZD 53.0

705.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$6.68 DZD 899

280.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$0.54 DZD 73.3

453.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.44 DZD 58.8

238.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$5.72 DZD 770

483.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.33 DZD 44.30

445.45%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.1K DZD 4.7M

-5.36%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$34.6K DZD 4.7M

-8.38%

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

$180 €162

$43.80 DZD 5,894

311.89%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$9.85 DZD 1,325

40.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$12.48 DZD 1,679

170.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$24.66 DZD 3,318

108.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$27.77 DZD 3,737

-42.53%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$4.48 DZD 603

145.31%

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

$917 €821

$564 DZD 75.9K

62.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$6,274 DZD 844.1K

162.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$31.69 DZD 4,263

174.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$34.81 DZD 4,684

10.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$69.8 DZD 9,391

51.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$80.7 DZD 10.9K

48.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$163 DZD 22.0K

941.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$130 DZD 17.5K

941.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$433 DZD 58.2K

501.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$239 DZD 32.2K

761.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,550 DZD 343.1K

171.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,334 DZD 179.5K

284.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$327 DZD 44.0K

576.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.3

-38.11%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Algiers: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Algiers

$130 22.2% 90.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Algiers

$174 29.8% 45.9% $148

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Algiers

$72 12.4% 73% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Algiers

$66 11.3% 71% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Algiers

$98 16.7% 38.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Algiers

$34 5.8% 54.3% $40

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Algiers

$11 1.9% 77.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $163 in Algiers. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $28 in Algiers for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $174 per month, with Algiers cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇿 Algiers

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

3,415,811 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.68 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Algiers 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Algiers

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 Algiers: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Algiers is about 76% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 6.8 times higher, 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $163 in Algiers. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Algiers – a meal for two runs $28 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $585 in Algiers – Algiers is about 76% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $585 in Algiers versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Algiers but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Algiers the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Algiers is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Algiers are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Algiers gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.