Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Male: $1,524 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Male
Learn more

Male Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Male

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,524 in Male.

Barcelona $2,405
Male $1,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $2,454 in Male.

Barcelona $3,477
Male $2,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $3,385 in Male.

Barcelona $4,550
Male $3,385

Living in Barcelona is roughly 58% more expensive than in Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Male 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.03

$5.86 MVR 90.3

206.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.1

$38.10 MVR 587

76.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.92

$9.73 MVR 150

37.41%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.73 MVR 72.9

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$3.49 MVR 53.8

-4.30%

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

$2.95 €2.63

$1.63 MVR 25.14

80.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.31 MVR 4.80

512.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.98 MVR 30.50

-35.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.60 MVR 24.74

22.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.21 MVR 18.59

44.63%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$1.94 MVR 29.89

152.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.58

$10.48 MVR 162

66.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.08

$6.01 MVR 92.7

50.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €17.99

$9.67 MVR 149

108.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$4.05 MVR 62.5

-23.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.13 MVR 48.26

-35.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$3.98 MVR 61.4

-34.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.66 MVR 41.00

1.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.02 MVR 31.10

6.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.88 MVR 28.95

17.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.12 MVR 32.75

-27.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.61 MVR 9.47

52.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 MVR 189

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 MVR 41.39

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 MVR 29.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$15.01 MVR 231

-52.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.80

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.63 MVR 9.74

368.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.11

$30.22 MVR 466

-14.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.79

$1.98 MVR 30.56

58.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.90 MVR 29.35

-23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.46

$10.18 MVR 157

235.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.99 MVR 15.24

80.81%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$32.9K MVR 506.6K

5.58%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$28.8K MVR 443.6K

5.32%

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

$181 €161

$117 MVR 1,808

54.11%

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

$13.56 €12.09

$30.56 MVR 471

-55.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.31

$71.8 MVR 1,107

-51.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.40

$72.0 MVR 1,110

-26.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.31

$34.45 MVR 531

-53.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.13

$9.90 MVR 153

14.85%

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

$939 €837

$185 MVR 2,860

406.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$3,048 MVR 47.0K

442.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$39.25 MVR 605

124.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.46

$49.98 MVR 771

-20.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$85.8 MVR 1,323

20.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$51.5 MVR 794

132.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,512

$948 MVR 14.6K

78.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,160

$709 MVR 10.9K

83.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,297

$2,035 MVR 31.4K

26.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,731

$1,524 MVR 23.5K

27.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,660

$2,282 MVR 35.2K

227.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,631

$1,391 MVR 21.5K

273.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,050

$837 MVR 12.9K

174.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-76.57%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Male: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Male

$709 46.5% 45.5% $591

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Male

$233 15.3% 28.3% $92

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Male

$126 8.2% 53.8% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Male

$220 14.4% 4.3% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Male

$102 6.7% 35.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Male

$92 6% 20.9% $16

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Male

$44 2.9% 8% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $948 in Male. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 175% 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: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $38.00 in Male for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $233 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

15:33 3:33 PM

3 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.28 MVR (100 MVR = 5.79 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Male 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Male differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,524 including rent). Male is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 175% 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 $948 in Male. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $185 in Male. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,524 in Male versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Male but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Male 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 Male 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 Male gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.