Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Madeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Madeira: $1,599 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 Madeira
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Madeira Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Madeira

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,599 in Madeira.

Barcelona $2,453
Madeira $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,361 in Madeira.

Barcelona $3,509
Madeira $2,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,124 in Madeira.

Barcelona $4,564
Madeira $3,124

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Madeira 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$11.47 €10.30

53.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$46.16 €41.47

46.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$9.23 €8.29

46.59%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.06 €1.85

54.85%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$1.86 €1.67

56.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.40 €1.26

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$2.26 €2.03

77.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$3.55 €3.19

27.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.10 €0.99

19.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.52 €1.37

32.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.61 €1.45

14.91%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.02 €2.71

59.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$11.20 €10.06

49.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$7.70 €6.92

18.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$14.02 €12.60

40.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.36 €2.12

26.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.41 €1.27

43.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.85 €1.67

45.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.50 €2.25

12.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.52 €1.37

37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.94 €1.74

6.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.56 €1.40

-6.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.83 €0.75

13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$6.14 €5.52

11.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$5.34 €4.80

47.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.24 €1.12

13.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.41 €2.16

5.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.27 €2.04

38.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$42.12 €37.83

-39.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$4.13 €3.71

-27.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.81 €0.73

83.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$17.47 €15.69

91.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.91 €1.72

-5.76%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$34.7K €31.2K

-4.36%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$39.2K €35.2K

-19.11%

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

$180 €162

$137 €123

31.36%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$21.23 €19.07

-34.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$41.41 €37.19

-18.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$44.27 €39.77

16.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$17.51 €15.73

-8.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$8.15 €7.32

34.85%

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

$917 €823

$476 €428

92.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,168 €7,337

101.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$72.5 €65.1

20.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$38.12 €34.24

1.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$92.4 €83.0

14.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$93.9 €84.4

27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$910 €817

86.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$725 €651

87.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,465 €1,316

77.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,179 €1,059

74.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,005 €2,700

130.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,314 €2,079

121.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.01

-34.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Madeira: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Madeira

$725 45.3% 46.5% $631

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Madeira

$246 15.4% 23.7% $76

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Madeira

$176 11% 34.5% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Madeira

$200 12.5% 12.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Madeira

$134 8.4% 15.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Madeira

$61 3.8% 17.6% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Madeira

$59 3.7% 22.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $910 in Madeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $46 in Madeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $246 per month, with Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇹 Madeira

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

154

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Madeira 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Madeira

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 Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Madeira differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $1,599 including rent). Madeira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,399 in Madeira to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $910 in Madeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $476 in Madeira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Madeira 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 Madeira are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.