Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Guimaraes

For one person, living is cheaper in Guimaraes: $1,606 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Guimaraes
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Guimaraes Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Guimaraes

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Guimaraes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,606 in Guimaraes.

Barcelona $2,453
Guimaraes $1,606

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,318 in Guimaraes.

Barcelona $3,509
Guimaraes $2,318

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,031 in Guimaraes.

Barcelona $4,564
Guimaraes $3,031

Living in Barcelona is roughly 53% more expensive than in Guimaraes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Guimaraes 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$12.99 €11.63

35.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$49.60 €44.42

36.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.13 €8.18

48.19%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.88 €1.68

69.68%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.01 €1.80

44.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.35 €1.21

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.28 €2.05

75.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.76 €2.47

64.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.04 €0.94

25.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.72 €1.54

17.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.68 €1.51

10.12%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.94 €2.64

64.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$12.48 €11.18

34.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$7.86 €7.04

16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$14.56 €13.04

34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.06 €1.85

44.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.35 €1.21

49.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.82 €1.63

48.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.43 €2.18

15.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.97 €1.77

6.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.02 €1.81

2.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.53 €1.37

-4.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.00 €0.89

-6.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.66 €5.96

3.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$4.45 €3.99

77.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.33 €1.19

6.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.17 €1.95

17.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.55 €2.28

23.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$32.09 €28.74

-20.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.22 €3.78

-29.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.41 €1.27

5.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$16.46 €14.74

102.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.16 €1.93

-16.67%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.2K €29.8K

-0.14%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.1K €34.1K

-16.72%

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

$180 €162

$105 €93.7

72.53%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$17.00 €15.23

-18.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$45.11 €40.40

-25.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$43.17 €38.67

19.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$22.26 €19.93

-28.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.65 €7.75

27.05%

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

$917 €821

$393 €352

133.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$6,486 €5,809

154.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$75.8 €67.9

14.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$38.54 €34.52

-0.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$83.5 €74.8

26.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$103 €92.1

16.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$936 €839

81.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$753 €675

79.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,310 €1,173

98.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,073 €961

92.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$2,836 €2,540

143.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,207 €1,976

132.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,434 €1,284

54.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.7

-11.35%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guimaraes: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Guimaraes

$753 46.9% 44.4% $602

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Guimaraes

$252 15.7% 21.6% $69

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Guimaraes

$184 11.5% 31.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Guimaraes

$167 10.4% 26.9% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Guimaraes

$135 8.4% 14.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Guimaraes

$60 3.8% 17.7% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Guimaraes

$54 3.3% 10.5% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $936 in Guimaraes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 54% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $50 in Guimaraes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $252 per month, with Guimaraes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇹 Guimaraes

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

00:07 12:07 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

156,849

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Guimaraes 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Guimaraes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,606 in Guimaraes, so Guimaraes is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% 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 $936 in Guimaraes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $393 in Guimaraes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,606 in Guimaraes versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Guimaraes but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Guimaraes 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 Guimaraes are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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