Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Maspalomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maspalomas: $1,910 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Maspalomas
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Maspalomas Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Maspalomas

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Maspalomas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,910 in Maspalomas.

Barcelona $2,453
Maspalomas $1,910

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,575 in Maspalomas.

Barcelona $3,509
Maspalomas $2,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,240 in Maspalomas.

Barcelona $4,564
Maspalomas $3,240

Living in Barcelona is roughly 28% more expensive than in Maspalomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Maspalomas 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$13.54 €12.16

29.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$73.1 €65.7

-7.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$10.51 €9.44

28.73%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.49 €2.24

28.11%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.09 €1.87

39.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.63 €1.46

15.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.14 €2.82

27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$3.70 €3.33

22.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.10 €0.99

19.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.72 €1.54

17.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.64 €1.47

12.80%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.62 €3.25

33.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$12.28 €11.03

36.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$9.07 €8.14

0.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$17.72 €15.92

10.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.61 €2.35

14.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.97 €1.77

2.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.29 €2.06

17.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.70 €1.53

64.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.31 €2.08

-9.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.37 €2.13

-12.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.15 €1.03

26.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.84 €0.75

11.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$4.36 €3.92

57.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$6.74 €6.05

17.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.75 €1.58

-19.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.68 €2.41

-5.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.29 €2.95

-4.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$55.6 €49.98

-54.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.41 €3.06

-12.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.23 €2.00

-33.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$28.05 €25.20

18.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.69 €1.52

6.51%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$30.4K €27.3K

9.08%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$31.9K €28.7K

-0.74%

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

$180 €162

$115 €103

57.18%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$16.46 €14.79

-15.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$27.67 €24.85

21.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$8.71 €7.83

26.18%

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

$917 €823

$473 €425

93.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$6,604 €5,932

149.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$84.8 €76.2

2.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$22.06 €19.82

74.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$91.3 €82.0

15.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$79.0 €71.0

51.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,397 €1,255

21.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,037 €931

30.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,366 €1,227

90.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,129 €1,014

82.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$6,071 €5,453

13.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$5,063 €4,548

1.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,429 €1,284

54.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.15

4.13%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Maspalomas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Maspalomas

$1K 54.3% 23.5% $318

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Maspalomas

$281 14.7% 12.7% $41

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Maspalomas

$208 10.9% 22.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Maspalomas

$159 8.3% 30.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Maspalomas

$125 6.5% 21.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Maspalomas

$17 * 0.9% 76.3% $56

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Maspalomas

$83 4.4% 71.9% $35

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,397 in Maspalomas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 55% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $73 in Maspalomas. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $281, with Maspalomas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Maspalomas

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

33,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Maspalomas 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Maspalomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,910 in Maspalomas, so Maspalomas is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 55% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,397 in Maspalomas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $473 in Maspalomas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Maspalomas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Maspalomas wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.