Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Elmina

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $678 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Elmina, Ghana
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Elmina
🇬🇭 Ghana
$678
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Elmina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $678 in Elmina.

  • Barcelona $2,443
  • Elmina $678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,146 in Elmina.

  • Barcelona $3,519
  • Elmina $1,146

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,613 in Elmina.

  • Barcelona $4,595
  • Elmina $1,613

Living in Barcelona is roughly 260% more expensive than in Elmina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Elmina is 50% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Elmina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 €15.75
$8.38 GHS 97.3
110.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.2
$52.4 GHS 608
28.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.61 €12.14
$10.44 GHS 121
30.36%
Cappuccino
$3.10 €2.77
$4.45 GHS 51.7
-30.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.68
$1.54 GHS 17.93
94.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.72
$0.48 GHS 5.58
302.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 €3.43
$1.84 GHS 21.33
108.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.89
$2.28 GHS 26.50
91.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Elmina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.11
$3.57 GHS 41.41
-64.99%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.90
$1.63 GHS 18.87
30.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$3.09 GHS 35.93
-36.25%
Eggs
$4.76 €4.25
$2.62 GHS 30.40
81.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.07 €15.22
$12.22 GHS 142
39.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.96 €7.99
$7.39 GHS 85.8
21.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.65 €18.42
$10.05 GHS 117
105.47%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 €2.82
$3.74 GHS 43.41
-15.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.46 GHS 16.98
34.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.37
$1.84 GHS 21.32
44.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.57
$3.54 GHS 41.08
-18.64%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 €1.84
$2.64 GHS 30.64
-21.97%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.95
$2.77 GHS 32.16
-21.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$0.71 GHS 8.26
115.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.87
$0.60 GHS 7.02
61.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.97 €6.21
$2.52 GHS 29.29
176.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.04
$7.34 GHS 85.2
7.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.26
$1.24 GHS 14.44
14.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 €2.40
$2.31 GHS 26.78
16.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Elmina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.31 €2.95
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.61 €22.84
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 €2.75
$1.67 GHS 19.40
84.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.32
$1.32 GHS 15.31
12.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.87 €29.32
$4.27 GHS 49.57
669.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.35 GHS 15.67
38.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.4K
$7,995 GHS 92.8K
312.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.5K
$20.3K GHS 235.9K
57.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Elmina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$72.8 GHS 846
151.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.24 €12.70
$19.52 GHS 227
-27.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.56 €30.83
$42.70 GHS 496
-19.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Elmina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 €45.87
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 €14.62
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.87
$12.85 GHS 149
-13.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Elmina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$944 €842
$460 GHS 5,344
104.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K €19.9K
$18.8K GHS 217.9K
18.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Elmina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.7 €78.2
$14.44 GHS 168
507.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 €34.59
$18.91 GHS 220
105.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.3
$36.51 GHS 424
186.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €105
$52.7 GHS 612
123.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Elmina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 €1,514
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 €1,192
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,692 €2,401
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,077 €1,853
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,155 €6,382
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,079 €4,530
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Elmina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,241 €1,999
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.19
26.75
-88.07%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Elmina: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Elmina
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$328
Elmina
$280 14.5% $48
Eating Out
Barcelona
$267
Elmina
$174 35% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$232
Elmina
$135 41.7% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$157
Elmina
$55 64.8% $102
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Elmina
$26 * 65% $48
Getting Around
Barcelona
$49
Elmina
$8.3 * 83.2% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $52 in Elmina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $280 per month, with Elmina cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇬🇭 Elmina
🕒 Local time
04:08 4:08 AM
03:08 3:08 AM
1 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
34,403
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 GHS (100 GHS = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 12.98 GHS (100 GHS = 7.7 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Elmina 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Elmina

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 Elmina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Elmina?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $678 in Elmina, so Elmina is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Elmina?
You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $1,017 in Elmina to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Elmina?
Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $460 in Elmina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Elmina – a meal for two runs $52 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $678 in Elmina versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Elmina but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Elmina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Elmina?
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.

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