Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Belem

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $937 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Belem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $937 in Belem.

Barcelona $2,405
Belem $937

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $1,424 in Belem.

Barcelona $3,477
Belem $1,424

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $1,911 in Belem.

Barcelona $4,550
Belem $1,911

Living in Barcelona is roughly 157% more expensive than in Belem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 79% above, Belem is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$4.94 R$24.66

263.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$20.41 R$102

230.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$6.80 R$33.96

96.62%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$1.90 R$9.48

75.79%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$1.06 R$5.28

178.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.51 R$2.56

272.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$1.59 R$7.91

144.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$2.36 R$11.80

93.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.40 R$7.01

-9.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.48 R$12.40

-20.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.32 R$6.59

32.58%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$2.14 R$10.71

128.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$9.20 R$45.91

89.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$4.53 R$22.64

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$7.55 R$37.70

167.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.30 R$11.49

33.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.43 R$7.15

41.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.49 R$7.42

74.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.75 R$8.73

54.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.09 R$5.45

97.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.63 R$3.14

250.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.29 R$6.45

19.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.43 R$7.13

-34.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$2.65 R$13.21

167.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$9.94 R$49.60

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.45 R$7.25

2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$5.07 R$25.31

-46.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.97 R$4.82

204.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$34.73 R$173

-25.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$1.17 R$5.86

167.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.17 R$5.83

23.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$8.36 R$41.71

308.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.32 R$6.57

35.61%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$23.9K R$119.3K

45.16%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$32.5K R$162.3K

-6.84%

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

$181 €161

$98.6 R$492

83.32%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$11.52 R$57.5

17.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$31.16 R$156

12.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$21.62 R$108

145.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$39.31 R$196

-59.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$7.82 R$39.04

45.40%

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

$939 €838

$111 R$556

743.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$3,464 R$17.3K

376.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$32.02 R$160

175.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$45.64 R$228

-12.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$83.2 R$415

24.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$66.9 R$334

78.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$529 R$2,642

220.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$290 R$1,450

347.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$889 R$4,436

189.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$538 R$2,684

261.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$2,003 R$9,997

273.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$1,403 R$7,005

270.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$422 R$2,105

445.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

11.48

-71.43%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Belem: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Belem

$290 30.8% 77.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Belem

$225 23.8% 30.9% $100

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Belem

$102 10.8% 62.6% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Belem

$141 15% 38.4% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Belem

$103 10.9% 35.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Belem

$37 4% 50.9% $39

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Belem

$46 4.8% 5.2% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $529 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 445% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $20.00 in Belem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $225 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

23:25 11:25 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,303,403

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Belem 6,970 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Belem

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 Belem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Belem differ by about 157% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $937 including rent). Belem is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 445% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $529 in Belem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $111 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $937 in Belem versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Belem 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Belem are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.