Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $724 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Contagem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $724 in Contagem.

Barcelona $2,443
Contagem $724

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,164 in Contagem.

Barcelona $3,519
Contagem $1,164

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,605 in Contagem.

Barcelona $4,595
Contagem $1,605

Living in Barcelona is roughly 238% more expensive than in Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Contagem is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$5.54 R$30.39

218.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$27.69 R$152

143.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$6.65 R$36.51

104.66%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$1.63 R$8.94

90.18%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$1.28 R$7.00

134.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.58 R$3.16

232.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$1.22 R$6.68

214.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$2.28 R$12.51

91.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.88 R$4.80

42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.61 R$8.85

31.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.28 R$7.02

53.91%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$1.87 R$10.28

154.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$8.96 R$49.16

90.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$3.14 R$17.25

185.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$7.17 R$39.36

188.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$1.82 R$9.98

73.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.15 R$6.29

71.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$0.90 R$4.92

194.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.51 R$8.30

90.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.04 R$5.71

98.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.99 R$5.42

120.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.74 R$4.07

106.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.72 R$3.93

34.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$1.48 R$8.13

370.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$5.47 R$30.05

44.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.90 R$4.94

57.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.32 R$7.27

103.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$1.38 R$7.59

139.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$72.7 R$399

-64.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.04 R$5.70

196.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.82 R$4.48

80.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$5.82 R$31.92

464.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.16 R$6.37

61.21%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$21.8K R$119.7K

51.19%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$29.5K R$162.2K

8.12%

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

$183 €163

$70.5 R$387

159.29%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$9.22 R$50.6

54.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$17.33 R$95.1

99.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$24.57 R$135

109.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

$22.42 R$123

-26.94%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$6.80 R$37.31

62.65%

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

$944 €842

$136 R$744

595.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$2,460 R$13.5K

805.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$55.4 R$304

58.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$44.74 R$246

-13.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$62.5 R$343

67.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$44.16 R$242

166.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$208 R$1,139

717.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$147 R$804

812.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$433 R$2,375

522.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$305 R$1,673

581.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$1,863 R$10.2K

284.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$922 R$5,059

451.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

$237 R$1,300

846.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

10.67

-70.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Contagem: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Contagem

$147 20.3% 89% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Contagem

$163 22.6% 50.1% $164

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Contagem

$102 14.1% 61.8% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Contagem

$97 13.4% 58.1% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Contagem

$93 12.9% 40.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Contagem

$38 5.3% 48.1% $35

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Contagem

$83 11.5% 69% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $208 in Contagem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 9.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $28 in Contagem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $163 per month, with Contagem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇷 Contagem

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

4 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

621,863

💱 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 Contagem 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Contagem

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 Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $724 in Contagem, so Contagem is about 70% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 9.5 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 $208 in Contagem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $136 in Contagem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 100% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $724 in Contagem versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Contagem but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Contagem 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 – Contagem wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.