Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hulhumale

For one person, living is cheaper in Hulhumale: $1,420 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,420

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hulhumale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,420 in Hulhumale.

Barcelona $2,453
Hulhumale $1,420

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,583 in Hulhumale.

Barcelona $3,509
Hulhumale $2,583

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,747 in Hulhumale.

Barcelona $4,564
Hulhumale $3,747

Living in Barcelona is roughly 73% more expensive than in Hulhumale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Hulhumale 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$6.09 MVR 93.9

188.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$39.34 MVR 607

71.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.58 MVR 148

41.23%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MVR 75.5

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.47 MVR 53.5

-8.07%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.60 MVR 24.64

81.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.29 MVR 4.46

551.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.54 MVR 23.70

-14.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.62 MVR 24.97

24.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$0.33 MVR 5.10

460.61%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.84 MVR 28.39

162.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$3.29 MVR 50.8

408.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$5.94 MVR 91.5

53.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$9.36 MVR 144

109.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.02 MVR 61.9

-25.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.14 MVR 48.43

-35.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.84 MVR 43.72

-4.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.65 MVR 40.87

5.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.23 MVR 19.00

69.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.15 MVR 17.66

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.08 MVR 32.15

-29.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.58 MVR 9.00

62.07%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.13 MVR 187

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MVR 41.78

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 MVR 29.90

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$12.99 MVR 200

-47.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.99 MVR 30.74

50.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.92 MVR 29.58

-22.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$10.09 MVR 156

230.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.98 MVR 15.04

83.67%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$32.6K MVR 502.7K

1.82%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$28.9K MVR 444.9K

9.87%

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

$180 €162

$105 MVR 1,617

72.06%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$29.88 MVR 461

-53.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$71.5 MVR 1,103

-52.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.57 MVR 148

14.84%

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

$917 €821

$183 MVR 2,825

400.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$3,027 MVR 46.7K

444.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$38.84 MVR 599

124.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$49.67 MVR 766

-22.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$85.7 MVR 1,321

23.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$52.3 MVR 806

129.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,147 MVR 17.7K

48.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$762 MVR 11.8K

77.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,237 MVR 34.5K

16.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,299 MVR 35.5K

-10.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,433 MVR 83.8K

27.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$506 MVR 7,798

913.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$721 MVR 11.1K

206.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-76.57%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hulhumale: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Hulhumale

$762 53.7% 43.8% $593

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Hulhumale

$193 13.6% 40.1% $129

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Hulhumale

$127 8.9% 52.7% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Hulhumale

$206 14.5% 9.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Hulhumale

$102 7.2% 35.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Hulhumale

$19 * 1.4% 73.9% $54

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Hulhumale

$12 * 0.8% 76.1% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,147 in Hulhumale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $39 in Hulhumale for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $193 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

14:03 2:03 PM

4 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

5,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.21 MVR (100 MVR = 5.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Hulhumale 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Hulhumale

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 Hulhumale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,420 in Hulhumale, so Hulhumale is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 3.1 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,147 in Hulhumale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $183 in Hulhumale. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hulhumale – a meal for two runs $39 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Hulhumale is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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