Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Maldonado

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,368 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Maldonado

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,368 in Maldonado.

Barcelona $2,381
Maldonado $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,178 in Maldonado.

Barcelona $3,406
Maldonado $2,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,988 in Maldonado.

Barcelona $4,431
Maldonado $2,988

Living in Barcelona is roughly 74% more expensive than in Maldonado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Maldonado 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.87 UYU 597

20.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$54.9 UYU 2,202

20.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$13.91 UYU 558

-1.58%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.57 UYU 183

-33.04%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.65 UYU 106

15.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.10 UYU 84.2

-7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$2.95 UYU 118

31.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.62 UYU 145

27.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.13 UYU 45.19

15.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.70 UYU 109

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.77 UYU 71.1

3.39%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.98 UYU 160

16.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$14.11 UYU 566

23.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$11.31 UYU 454

-17.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$11.61 UYU 466

70.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.79 UYU 112

7.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.14 UYU 86.0

-5.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.75 UYU 70.2

51.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.15 UYU 126

-8.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.00 UYU 80.2

8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.00 UYU 80.4

7.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.43 UYU 57.4

2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.95 UYU 78.3

-54.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.51 UYU 221

25.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.13 UYU 326

-3.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.32 UYU 93.3

-40.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.71 UYU 109

-2.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.41 UYU 56.8

106.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$48.89 UYU 1,962

-47.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.40 UYU 136

-11.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.44 UYU 17.53

227.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$10.25 UYU 411

223.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.24 UYU 89.9

-16.96%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

21.47%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-14.26%

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

$183 €163

$116 UYU 4,644

57.96%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$19.18 UYU 770

-29.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$45.04 UYU 1,808

-26.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$48.23 UYU 1,936

13.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$30.20 UYU 1,212

-45.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$12.05 UYU 484

-6.80%

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

$954 €849

$496 UYU 19.9K

92.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$6,515 UYU 261.5K

154.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$90.3 UYU 3,625

-4.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$37.34 UYU 1,498

4.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$125 UYU 5,014

-17.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$118 UYU 4,729

0.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$426 UYU 17.1K

297.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$315 UYU 12.7K

304.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$919 UYU 36.9K

180.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$601 UYU 24.1K

219.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,803 UYU 112.5K

159.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,541 UYU 61.8K

225.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,014 UYU 40.7K

119.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-34.40%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Maldonado: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Maldonado

$315 23.1% 75.3% $961

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Maldonado

$317 23.2% 2.5% $8.1

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Maldonado

$257 18.8% 4.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Maldonado

$180 13.2% 21.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Maldonado

$167 12.2% 6.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Maldonado

$72 5.3% 6.2% $4.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Maldonado

$60 4.4% 27.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $426 in Maldonado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 120% 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 $55.0 in Maldonado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $317 per month, with Maldonado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

09:27 9:27 AM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

62,592

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Maldonado 10,290 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Maldonado

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 Maldonado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Maldonado differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,368 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 120% 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 $426 in Maldonado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $496 in Maldonado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,368 in Maldonado versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado 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 Maldonado 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 Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.