Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Macaé

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $887 in Macaé.

Barcelona $2,381
Macaé $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,495 in Macaé.

Barcelona $3,406
Macaé $1,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,102 in Macaé.

Barcelona $4,431
Macaé $2,102

Living in Barcelona is roughly 168% more expensive than in Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Macaé is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$5.43 R$27.54

229.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$29.78 R$151

122.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$6.91 R$35.00

98.12%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.72 R$8.73

77.91%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.39 R$7.04

120.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.63 R$3.18

207.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.21 R$6.16

219.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.79 R$14.16

65.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.96 R$4.85

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.56 R$7.91

34.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.38 R$6.99

32.61%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.94 R$9.85

138.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$9.12 R$46.21

90.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$3.34 R$16.92

177.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$9.69 R$49.10

104.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.86 R$9.40

61.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.20 R$6.11

69.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.96 R$4.85

176.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.23 R$6.21

133.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.64 R$3.23

237.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.81 R$4.09

165.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.54 R$2.73

172.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.52 R$2.64

69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$1.56 R$7.88

344.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.09 R$30.86

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.95 R$4.82

46.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.25 R$6.35

110.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.61 R$8.16

80.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$83.9 R$425

-69.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.41 R$7.14

112.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.79 R$4.03

82.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$7.92 R$40.16

319.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.29 R$6.53

44.19%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$21.5K R$109.0K

50.39%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$31.2K R$158.2K

1.62%

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

$183 €163

$100.0 R$507

82.85%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$10.21 R$51.7

33.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$18.76 R$95.1

75.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$39.82 R$202

37.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$34.04 R$173

-51.47%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.79 R$34.44

65.39%

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

$954 €849

$648 R$3,283

47.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,012 R$35.5K

136.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$63.1 R$320

36.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$32.02 R$162

22.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$66.9 R$339

54.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$46.66 R$237

154.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$370 R$1,873

358.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$241 R$1,221

429.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$886 R$4,490

190.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$669 R$3,392

187.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,270 R$6,436

473.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$800 R$4,054

526.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$799 R$4,049

178.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

10.67

-69.26%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Macaé

$241 27.2% 81.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Macaé

$169 19.1% 47.9% $156

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Macaé

$105 11.8% 61.2% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Macaé

$129 14.5% 43.8% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Macaé

$94 10.6% 39.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Macaé

$53 6% 30.8% $24

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Macaé

$96 10.8% 102% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $370 in Macaé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 179% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $30.00 in Macaé for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $169 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

13:04 1:04 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

246,391

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Macaé 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Macaé differ by about 168% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $887 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 179% 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 $370 in Macaé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $648 in Macaé. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $887 in Macaé versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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 Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.