Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Douala

For one person, living is cheaper in Douala: $1,329 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Douala
Learn more

Douala Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Douala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,329 in Douala.

Barcelona $2,405
Douala $1,329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $2,133 in Douala.

Barcelona $3,477
Douala $2,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $2,937 in Douala.

Barcelona $4,550
Douala $2,937

Living in Barcelona is roughly 81% more expensive than in Douala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 79% above, Douala is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$4.41 FCFA 2,579

307.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$121 FCFA 70.8K

-44.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$6.92 FCFA 4,052

93.21%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

59.05%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$1.60 FCFA 937

84.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.78 FCFA 458

143.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$1.21 FCFA 710

220.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$2.51 FCFA 1,469

82.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.76 FCFA 1,618

-53.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.44 FCFA 258

345.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.27 FCFA 1,330

-22.91%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$1.93 FCFA 1,128

153.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$21.83 FCFA 12.8K

-19.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$7.91 FCFA 4,629

14.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$6.23 FCFA 3,643

223.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$4.78 FCFA 2,798

-35.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.11 FCFA 1,233

-3.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.07 FCFA 1,210

25.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.37 FCFA 804

97.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$3.33 FCFA 1,950

-35.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.19 FCFA 1,280

0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.75 FCFA 441

105.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.67 FCFA 391

38.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$2.61 FCFA 1,526

171.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$8.77 FCFA 5,133

-13.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.47 FCFA 858

1.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.81 FCFA 1,058

50.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.61 FCFA 358

383.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$17.37 FCFA 10.2K

49.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$0.58 FCFA 340

439.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.85 FCFA 497

70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$8.14 FCFA 4,763

319.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.47 FCFA 862

21.77%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$30.5K FCFA 17.8M

13.71%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$15.2K FCFA 8.9M

99.29%

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

$181 €161

$163 FCFA 95.1K

11.17%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$25.53 FCFA 14.9K

-46.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$175 FCFA 102.6K

-79.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$41.22 FCFA 24.1K

28.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$8.38 FCFA 4,904

35.68%

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

$939 €838

$507 FCFA 296.9K

85.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$3,426 FCFA 2.0M

382.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$78.6 FCFA 46.0K

12.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$65.9 FCFA 38.5K

-39.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$138 FCFA 80.6K

-24.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$148 FCFA 86.4K

-19.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$553 FCFA 323.5K

206.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$318 FCFA 186.1K

308.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$1,346 FCFA 787.5K

91.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$548 FCFA 320.8K

254.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$1,989 FCFA 1.2M

275.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$971 FCFA 568.1K

434.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$225 FCFA 131.5K

923.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

19.04

-82.77%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Douala: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Douala

$318 23.8% 75.5% $982

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Douala

$278 20.8% 14.4% $47

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Douala

$102 7.6% 62.5% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Douala

$363 27.2% 58.5% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Douala

$193 14.5% 22.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Douala

$58 4.3% 23.6% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Douala

$25 1.8% 48.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $553 in Douala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 923% 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 $121 in Douala. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $278, with Douala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇲 Douala

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

07:42 7:42 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Douala 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Douala

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 Douala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Douala differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,329 including rent). Douala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 923% 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 $553 in Douala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $507 in Douala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,329 in Douala versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Douala but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Douala 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 Douala 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 Douala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.