Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Madona

For one person, living is cheaper in Madona: $1,128 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Madona
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Madona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Madona

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Madona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,128 in Madona.

Barcelona $2,381
Madona $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,730 in Madona.

Barcelona $3,406
Madona $1,730

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,331 in Madona.

Barcelona $4,431
Madona $2,331

Living in Barcelona is roughly 111% more expensive than in Madona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Madona is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$16.87 €15.00

6.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$66.8 €59.4

-0.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$9.28 €8.25

47.52%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.75 €3.33

-18.40%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.57 €1.40

95.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.20 €1.06

61.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.60 €4.98

-30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.91 €4.37

-6.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.20 €1.07

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.48 €1.32

41.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.48 €2.21

-26.21%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.60 €3.20

28.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.34 €9.20

67.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.48 €7.54

9.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$13.57 €12.07

46.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.09 €1.86

44.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.77 €1.57

14.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.49 €2.21

6.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.21 €2.85

-10.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.82 €0.73

163.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.90 €0.80

138.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.74 €1.55

-15.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.87 €0.78

1.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$6.85 €6.09

1.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.64 €6.79

2.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.02 €1.80

-31.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.09 €1.86

25.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.42 €3.05

-12.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.98 €0.87

46.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$17.80 €15.83

86.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.08 €1.85

-10.58%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$26.9K €23.9K

20.38%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$30.3K €27.0K

4.61%

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

$183 €163

$365 €325

-49.94%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$19.58 €17.42

-30.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$19.97 €17.76

64.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$28.19 €25.07

94.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.53 €4.92

103.07%

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

$954 €849

$668 €594

42.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$17.9K €15.9K

-7.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$69.9 €62.2

23.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$51.0 €45.37

-23.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$86.8 €77.2

19.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$138 €123

-13.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.77

-31.24%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Madona: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Madona

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Madona

$264 23.4% 18.9% $62

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Madona

$257 22.8% 4.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Madona

$405 35.9% 76.5% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Madona

$155 13.8% 0.5% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Madona

$39 3.5% 49.1% $38

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Madona

$8.3 * 0.7% 82.5% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $67.0 in Madona. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $264, with Madona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇱🇻 Madona

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

02:30 2:30 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

7,800

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Madona 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Madona

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 Madona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Madona differ by about 111% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,128 including rent). Madona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $1,692 in Madona 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.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $668 in Madona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Madona – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,128 in Madona versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Madona but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Madona 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 Madona 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 Madona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.