Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ilopango

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilopango: $1,619 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ilopango

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,619 in Ilopango.

Barcelona $2,381
Ilopango $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,863 in Ilopango.

Barcelona $3,406
Ilopango $1,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,107 in Ilopango.

Barcelona $4,431
Ilopango $2,107

Living in Barcelona is roughly 47% more expensive than in Ilopango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Ilopango 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.98

$3.23 $3.23

453.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$44.80 $44.80

47.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.23

$4.97 $4.97

175.45%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.73

$2.96 $2.96

3.38%

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

$3.07 €2.74

$0.87 $0.87

252.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.99 $0.99

95.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.45

$0.92 $0.92

320.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.12

$1.75 $1.75

163.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$3.20 $3.20

-59.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.49 $1.49

40.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$3.06 $3.06

-40.20%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.13

$2.95 $2.95

56.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.50

$4.96 $4.96

250.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.29

$5.91 $5.91

57.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.71

$10.20 $10.20

94.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.69

$2.98 $2.98

1.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.95 $1.95

4.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.95 $1.95

35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$2.04 $2.04

40.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.02 $2.02

6.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.04 $2.04

5.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.93 $0.93

58.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.03 $1.03

-14.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.19

$3.91 $3.91

77.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.99

$11.84 $11.84

-33.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.98 $0.98

41.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.05 $2.05

28.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.60

$0.88 $0.88

230.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.74

$35.26 $35.26

-27.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.68

$6.86 $6.86

-56.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$2.22 $2.22

-35.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.65

$4.66 $4.66

612.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.68 $0.68

173.53%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$19.8K $19.8K

63.09%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$25.3K $25.3K

25.14%

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

$183 €163

$35.69 $35.69

412.08%

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

$13.61 €12.16

$9.91 $9.91

37.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.41

$40.70 $40.70

-19.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.85

$40.29 $40.29

35.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.76

$10.07 $10.07

64.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €10.03

$5.14 $5.14

118.48%

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

$954 €852

$103 $103

822.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$1,882 $1,882

782.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.8

$20.18 $20.18

326.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.93

$30.10 $30.10

29.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$74.3 $74.3

39.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$59.0 $59.0

101.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,514

$672 $672

152.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,140

$1,002 $1,002

27.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,300

$592 $592

335.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,717

$619 $619

210.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,503

$1,689 $1,689

331.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,474

$953 $953

425.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,989

$1,010 $1,010

120.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-45.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ilopango: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Ilopango

$1K 61.9% 21.5% $274

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Ilopango

$249 15.4% 23.3% $76

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Ilopango

$92 5.7% 65.9% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Ilopango

$86 5.3% 62.4% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Ilopango

$83 5.1% 47.2% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Ilopango

$51 3.1% 34.4% $27

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Ilopango

$57 3.5% 19.9% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $672 in Ilopango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Barcelona vs $45 in Ilopango for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $249 per month, with Ilopango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

06:22 6:22 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

38,890

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Ilopango 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Ilopango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Ilopango differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,619 including rent). Ilopango is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2.2 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $672 in Ilopango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $103 in Ilopango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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