Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Coimbra

For one person, living is cheaper in Coimbra: $1,616 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Coimbra
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Coimbra Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Coimbra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Coimbra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,616 in Coimbra.

Barcelona $2,453
Coimbra $1,616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,333 in Coimbra.

Barcelona $3,509
Coimbra $2,333

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,051 in Coimbra.

Barcelona $4,564
Coimbra $3,051

Living in Barcelona is roughly 52% more expensive than in Coimbra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Coimbra 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$13.14 €11.78

33.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$48.41 €43.38

39.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.24 €9.18

32.13%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.91 €1.72

67.02%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.96 €1.75

48.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.58 €1.41

19.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.19 €1.96

83.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.43 €3.07

32.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.02 €0.92

28.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.55 €1.39

30.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.72 €1.54

7.56%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.41 €3.05

41.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$11.90 €10.66

40.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$7.49 €6.71

21.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.24 €12.76

37.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.42 €2.17

23.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.57 €1.40

28.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.97 €1.77

37.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.01 €2.70

-6.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.57 €1.41

33.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.52 €1.36

-3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.66 €0.59

42.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.52 €5.85

5.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$5.64 €5.05

39.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.28 €1.14

10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.07 €1.85

22.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.21 €1.98

42.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$33.70 €30.20

-24.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.35 €3.90

-31.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.42 €1.27

4.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$13.85 €12.41

140.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.20 €1.97

-18.18%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.3K €29.9K

-0.41%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.0K €34.0K

-16.55%

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

$180 €162

$135 €121

33.46%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$22.02 €19.73

-37.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$32.54 €29.16

3.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$44.36 €39.75

16.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$11.55 €10.35

38.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.17 €7.32

34.52%

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

$917 €821

$702 €629

30.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.6K €9,500

55.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$98.5 €88.3

-11.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$36.99 €33.15

4.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$92.6 €83.0

14.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$116 €104

2.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$931 €834

82.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$715 €640

89.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,493 €1,338

74.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,026 €919

101.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,983 €2,673

131.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,671 €1,498

206.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,286 €1,152

71.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.83

-14.36%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Coimbra: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Coimbra

$715 44.2% 47.3% $641

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Coimbra

$251 15.5% 22% $71

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Coimbra

$191 11.8% 28.8% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Coimbra

$190 11.7% 16.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Coimbra

$155 9.6% 1.9% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Coimbra

$61 3.8% 17.4% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Coimbra

$54 3.3% 11.3% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $931 in Coimbra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 72% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $48 in Coimbra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $251 per month, with Coimbra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇹 Coimbra

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

01:58 1:58 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

140,838

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Coimbra 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Coimbra

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 Coimbra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,616 in Coimbra, so Coimbra is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 72% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $931 in Coimbra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $702 in Coimbra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Coimbra are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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