Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Barreiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Barreiro: $1,652 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Barreiro
Learn more

Barreiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Barreiro

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Barreiro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,652 in Barreiro.

Barcelona $2,453
Barreiro $1,652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,342 in Barreiro.

Barcelona $3,509
Barreiro $2,342

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,032 in Barreiro.

Barcelona $4,564
Barreiro $3,032

Living in Barcelona is roughly 48% more expensive than in Barreiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Barreiro 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$15.64 €13.95

12.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$44.05 €39.30

53.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$9.59 €8.55

41.08%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.57 €2.30

24.12%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$2.04 €1.82

42.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.19 €1.96

-13.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$3.39 €3.02

18.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$3.29 €2.93

37.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.03 €0.92

27.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.53 €1.36

32.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.63 €1.46

13.50%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.30 €2.94

46.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$8.72 €7.78

91.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$7.99 €7.13

14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$14.81 €13.22

32.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.73 €2.43

9.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.26 €1.13

60.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.97 €1.76

37.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.45 €1.30

93.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.56 €1.39

33.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.70 €1.52

21.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.66 €1.48

-12.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.67 €0.60

40.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$5.83 €5.20

17.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$6.00 €5.35

31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.22 €1.09

15.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.05 €0.94

141.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$1.41 €1.26

122.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$45.57 €40.65

-44.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$2.31 €2.06

29.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.77 €0.68

93.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$16.79 €14.98

98.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.16 €1.93

-16.67%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

-0.10%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$37.4K €33.4K

-15.26%

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

$180 €161

$110 €98.2

63.86%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$21.24 €18.95

-34.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$35.43 €31.61

-4.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$36.64 €32.69

40.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$13.45 €12.00

18.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$8.86 €7.90

24.04%

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

$917 €818

$624 €557

46.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$11.2K €10.0K

46.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$77.1 €68.8

12.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$37.18 €33.17

3.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$83.6 €74.6

26.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$105 €93.9

13.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$942 €840

80.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$777 €693

74.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,476 €1,317

76.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,067 €952

93.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$3,883 €3,464

78.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$2,788 €2,488

83.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$917 €818

141.22%

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 Barreiro: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Barreiro

$777 47% 42.7% $578

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Barreiro

$235 14.2% 26.9% $87

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Barreiro

$225 13.6% 15.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Barreiro

$167 10.1% 26.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Barreiro

$136 8.3% 13.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Barreiro

$54 3.3% 26% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Barreiro

$57 3.5% 18.3% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $942 in Barreiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $44 in Barreiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $235 per month, with Barreiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇹 Barreiro

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

78,359

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Barreiro 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Barreiro

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 Barreiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,652 in Barreiro, so Barreiro is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2.4 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 $942 in Barreiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $624 in Barreiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barreiro gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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

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