Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Aracaju

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracaju: $659 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Aracaju
Learn more

Aracaju Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Aracaju

🇧🇷 Brazil

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Aracaju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $659 in Aracaju.

Barcelona $2,443
Aracaju $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,043 in Aracaju.

Barcelona $3,519
Aracaju $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,427 in Aracaju.

Barcelona $4,595
Aracaju $1,427

Living in Barcelona is roughly 271% more expensive than in Aracaju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Aracaju is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$4.63 R$25.41

281.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$21.63 R$119

211.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$5.42 R$29.75

151.11%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$1.92 R$10.54

61.46%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$1.07 R$5.88

180.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.55 R$3.03

250.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$1.88 R$10.30

104.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$2.90 R$15.93

50.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.03 R$5.64

21.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.40 R$7.69

51.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.09 R$5.97

80.73%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$1.59 R$8.70

199.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$6.99 R$38.39

144.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$3.60 R$19.73

148.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$6.82 R$37.43

202.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$1.94 R$10.62

62.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.23 R$6.77

60.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$0.66 R$3.61

301.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$0.82 R$4.51

251.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.03 R$5.64

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.90 R$4.93

142.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.51 R$2.80

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.70 R$3.85

38.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$2.25 R$12.36

209.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$5.58 R$30.64

41.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.14 R$6.25

24.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.85 R$10.18

45.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.85 R$4.67

289.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$38.97 R$214

-34.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.16 R$6.37

165.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.61 R$3.34

142.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$6.05 R$33.22

443.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.19 R$6.54

57.14%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$21.4K R$117.3K

54.29%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$31.0K R$170.0K

3.14%

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

$183 €163

$58.7 R$322

211.61%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$9.26 R$50.8

53.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$15.77 R$86.6

119.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$21.03 R$115

144.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

$25.96 R$142

-36.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$5.85 R$32.08

89.06%

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

$944 €842

$277 R$1,520

240.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$5,017 R$27.5K

343.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$53.1 R$291

65.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$32.44 R$178

19.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$81.1 R$445

29.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$75.3 R$413

56.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$280 R$1,538

505.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$135 R$740

891.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$590 R$3,241

355.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$250 R$1,373

730.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$1,204 R$6,606

494.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$849 R$4,660

498.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

$422 R$2,313

431.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

-68.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Aracaju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Aracaju

$135 20.5% 89.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Aracaju

$154 23.4% 53% $174

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Aracaju

$98 14.9% 63.3% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Aracaju

$84 12.7% 63.9% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Aracaju

$109 16.5% 30.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Aracaju

$33 5% 55.5% $41

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Aracaju

$47 7.1% 5.6% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $280 in Aracaju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $22 in Aracaju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $154 per month, with Aracaju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇷 Aracaju

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

4 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

602,757

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Aracaju 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Aracaju

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 Aracaju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $659 in Aracaju, so Aracaju is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 5.3 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $280 in Aracaju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $277 in Aracaju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 113% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $659 in Aracaju versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Aracaju but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Aracaju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Aracaju wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.