Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ponta Delgada

For one person, living is cheaper in Ponta Delgada: $1,660 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Ponta Delgada
Learn more

Ponta Delgada Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ponta Delgada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,660 in Ponta Delgada.

Barcelona $2,453
Ponta Delgada $1,660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,363 in Ponta Delgada.

Barcelona $3,509
Ponta Delgada $2,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,067 in Ponta Delgada.

Barcelona $4,564
Ponta Delgada $3,067

Living in Barcelona is roughly 48% more expensive than in Ponta Delgada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Ponta Delgada 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$13.61 €12.15

29.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$44.83 €40.00

50.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$10.72 €9.57

26.21%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$1.84 €1.64

73.37%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.83 €1.64

59.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.84 €1.64

2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$3.15 €2.81

27.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$3.60 €3.21

25.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$0.93 €0.83

40.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.58 €1.41

27.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.79 €1.60

3.35%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.09 €2.75

56.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$16.78 €14.97

-0.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$11.35 €10.13

-19.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$17.07 €15.23

15.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.34 €2.09

27.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.66 €1.48

21.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.17 €1.94

24.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.10 €2.76

-9.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.54 €1.38

35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.62 €1.44

27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.80 €2.50

-47.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.07 €0.95

-12.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$5.12 €4.57

34.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$5.79 €5.17

36.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.36 €2.11

-40.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.13 €2.79

-18.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$1.66 €1.48

89.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$56.1 €50.0

-54.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$5.51 €4.92

-45.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.42 €1.26

4.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$5.74 €5.12

481.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.98 €1.76

-9.09%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$33.7K €30.1K

-1.47%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$39.1K €34.9K

-19.00%

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

$180 €161

$143 €128

26.22%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$18.68 €16.67

-25.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$43.32 €38.65

-22.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$33.39 €29.79

54.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$19.50 €17.40

-18.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$9.24 €8.25

18.94%

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

$917 €818

$285 €254

222.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$6,594 €5,883

149.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$47.31 €42.21

83.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$33.91 €30.26

13.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$65.9 €58.8

60.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$136 €122

-12.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$1,152 €1,027

47.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$689 €615

96.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,401 €1,250

85.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$931 €831

121.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$4,033 €3,598

71.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$2,977 €2,656

72.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$1,387 €1,237

59.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.71

-11.59%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ponta Delgada: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ponta Delgada

$689 41.5% 49.2% $666

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ponta Delgada

$310 18.7% 3.6% $12

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ponta Delgada

$201 12.1% 25% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ponta Delgada

$205 12.4% 10.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ponta Delgada

$128 7.7% 19.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ponta Delgada

$52 3.1% 29.4% $22

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ponta Delgada

$75 4.5% 55.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,152 in Ponta Delgada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 59% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $45 in Ponta Delgada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $310 per month, with Ponta Delgada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

23:08 11:08 PM

2 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

67,233

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Ponta Delgada 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ponta Delgada

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 Ponta Delgada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,660 in Ponta Delgada, so Ponta Delgada is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 59% 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 $1,152 in Ponta Delgada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $285 in Ponta Delgada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,660 in Ponta Delgada versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ponta Delgada but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ponta Delgada 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 Ponta Delgada are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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