Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Maceio - Alagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas: $839 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Maceio - Alagoas
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Maceio - Alagoas Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Maceio - Alagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $839 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Barcelona $2,381
Maceio - Alagoas $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,319 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Barcelona $3,406
Maceio - Alagoas $1,319

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,798 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Barcelona $4,431
Maceio - Alagoas $1,798

Living in Barcelona is roughly 184% more expensive than in Maceio - Alagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Maceio - Alagoas is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$5.84 R$29.62

206.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$30.06 R$152

120.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$5.85 R$29.66

134.02%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.73 R$8.77

76.88%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.12 R$5.67

174.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.51 R$2.60

280.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.55 R$7.87

149.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.27 R$21.65

7.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.09 R$5.54

19.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.04 R$10.33

2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.99 R$5.02

84.85%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.94 R$9.84

138.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$9.11 R$46.19

90.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$4.66 R$23.62

99.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$7.27 R$36.88

172.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.86 R$14.50

5.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.17 R$5.92

73.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.40 R$7.10

89.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.29 R$6.55

122.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.47 R$7.43

46.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.28 R$6.49

67.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.58 R$2.95

153.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.76 R$3.83

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$1.97 R$10.00

251.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.74 R$34.18

16.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.56 R$7.92

-10.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.41 R$7.13

86.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.76 R$3.88

282.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.42 R$2.13

614.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.39 R$1.95

269.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.27 R$6.44

46.46%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$21.7K R$110.2K

48.74%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$30.6K R$155.2K

3.53%

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

$183 €163

$81.7 R$414

123.61%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$16.47 R$83.5

-17.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$17.53 R$88.9

87.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$24.55 R$124

122.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.97 R$30.26

88.11%

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

$954 €849

$216 R$1,093

342.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,240 R$36.7K

129.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$54.9 R$278

56.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$77.5 R$393

-49.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$94.9 R$481

9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$79.9 R$405

48.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$296 R$1,500

472.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$244 R$1,235

423.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$491 R$2,489

424.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$467 R$2,370

311.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,542 R$7,819

372.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$705 R$3,571

611.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$603 R$3,059

269.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

10.17

-67.75%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Maceio - Alagoas: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Maceio - Alagoas

$244 29.1% 80.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Maceio - Alagoas

$191 22.8% 41.1% $134

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Maceio - Alagoas

$108 12.9% 60% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Maceio - Alagoas

$116 13.8% 49.5% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Maceio - Alagoas

$138 16.5% 11.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Maceio - Alagoas

$36 4.4% 52.7% $41

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Maceio - Alagoas

$5.4 * 0.6% 88.6% $42

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 $1,695 in Barcelona and $296 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 269% 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 Maceio - Alagoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $191 per month, with Maceio - Alagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇷 Maceio - Alagoas

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

07:50 7:50 AM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,031,597

💱 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 Maceio - Alagoas 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Maceio - Alagoas differ by about 184% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $839 including rent). Maceio - Alagoas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 269% 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 $296 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $216 in Maceio - Alagoas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $839 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maceio - Alagoas but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Maceio - Alagoas 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 Maceio - Alagoas 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 Maceio - Alagoas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 184% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.