Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Matosinhos

For one person, living is cheaper in Matosinhos: $1,913 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 Matosinhos
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Matosinhos Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Matosinhos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Matosinhos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,913 in Matosinhos.

Barcelona $2,453
Matosinhos $1,913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,802 in Matosinhos.

Barcelona $3,509
Matosinhos $2,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,691 in Matosinhos.

Barcelona $4,564
Matosinhos $3,691

Living in Barcelona is roughly 28% more expensive than in Matosinhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Matosinhos 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$13.36 €11.96

31.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$48.26 €43.22

39.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.92 €8.89

36.39%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.69 €2.41

18.59%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.00 €1.79

45.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.52 €1.36

24.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.19 €1.96

83.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.45 €3.09

31.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.09 €0.97

20.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.68 €1.50

20.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.69 €1.51

9.47%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.41 €3.06

41.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$11.78 €10.55

42.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$7.04 €6.31

29.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$14.72 €13.18

33.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.21 €1.98

34.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.52 €1.36

32.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.89 €1.69

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.49 €2.23

12.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.58 €1.41

32.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.84 €1.65

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.60 €1.44

-8.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.77 €0.69

22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.25 €5.59

9.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$5.44 €4.88

45.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.36 €1.21

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.10 €1.88

20.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.76 €2.47

13.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$45.24 €40.51

-43.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.32 €3.87

-30.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.82 €0.73

81.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$13.87 €12.43

140.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.23 €2.00

-19.28%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.3K €29.8K

-0.39%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.8K €33.9K

-16.21%

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

$180 €162

$164 €147

9.70%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$22.58 €20.23

-38.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$32.82 €29.39

2.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$62.5 €55.9

-17.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$21.39 €19.16

-25.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.06 €8.12

21.30%

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

$917 €821

$564 €505

62.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.5K €9,403

56.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$94.8 €84.9

-8.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$37.05 €33.19

3.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$93.5 €83.8

13.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$106 €94.7

13.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,178 €1,055

44.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$949 €850

42.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,238 €2,005

16.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,563 €1,400

31.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$4,277 €3,830

61.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$3,731 €3,341

37.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,563 €1,400

41.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.67

-10.63%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Matosinhos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Matosinhos

$949 49.6% 30% $407

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Matosinhos

$249 13% 22.7% $73

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Matosinhos

$201 10.5% 25% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Matosinhos

$220 11.5% 3.5% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Matosinhos

$149 7.8% 5.7% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Matosinhos

$81 4.2% 9.6% $7.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Matosinhos

$65 3.4% 33.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,178 in Matosinhos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 41% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $48 in Matosinhos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $249 per month, with Matosinhos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇹 Matosinhos

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

172,586

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Matosinhos 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Matosinhos

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 Matosinhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,913 in Matosinhos, so Matosinhos is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 41% 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 $1,178 in Matosinhos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $564 in Matosinhos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% 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 Matosinhos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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