Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Praia

For one person, living is cheaper in Praia: $1,195 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Praia
Learn more

Praia Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Praia

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$1,195

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Praia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,195 in Praia.

Barcelona $2,453
Praia $1,195

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,794 in Praia.

Barcelona $3,509
Praia $1,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,394 in Praia.

Barcelona $4,564
Praia $2,394

Living in Barcelona is roughly 105% more expensive than in Praia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Praia is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$5.05 CVE 498

248.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$35.98 CVE 3,544

87.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$7.24 CVE 713

86.88%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.68 CVE 264

19.03%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.60 CVE 157

81.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.18 CVE 117

60.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.48 CVE 244

61.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$1.90 CVE 187

138.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.33 CVE 131

-1.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.03 CVE 200

-0.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.61 CVE 356

-48.75%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.38 CVE 235

102.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$25.48 CVE 2,509

-34.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$4.65 CVE 458

96.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$16.52 CVE 1,627

18.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$5.16 CVE 508

-42.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.01 CVE 296

-32.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.08 CVE 401

-33.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.39 CVE 432

-36.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.51 CVE 148

38.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.43 CVE 141

44.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.01 CVE 99.2

44.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.51 CVE 148

-37.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$5.38 CVE 530

27.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$7.90 CVE 778

-0.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.77 CVE 174

-20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.73 CVE 170

46.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.76 CVE 74.9

313.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$29.34 CVE 2,890

-13.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.80 CVE 177

66.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.21 CVE 119

23.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.55 CVE 153

16.13%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.5K CVE 2.8M

16.41%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.6K CVE 3.8M

-17.90%

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

$180 €162

$179 CVE 17.7K

0.64%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$18.06 CVE 1,779

-23.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$51.7 CVE 5,088

-34.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$32.24 CVE 3,176

59.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$10.14 CVE 999

57.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$5.51 CVE 542

99.46%

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

$917 €821

$125 CVE 12.4K

630.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$3,111 CVE 306.4K

429.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$61.1 CVE 6,014

42.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$25.85 CVE 2,546

48.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$66.4 CVE 6,541

59.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$92.9 CVE 9,153

28.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$570 CVE 56.1K

198.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$283 CVE 27.9K

378.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$886 CVE 87.2K

193.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$478 CVE 47.1K

331.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,360 CVE 134.0K

408.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$994 CVE 97.9K

415.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$300 CVE 29.6K

635.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-59.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Praia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Praia

$283 23.7% 79.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Praia

$346 29% 7.7% $25

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Praia

$122 10.2% 54.6% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Praia

$249 20.8% 9.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Praia

$111 9.3% 29.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Praia

$43 3.6% 41.2% $30

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Praia

$40 3.4% 17% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $570 in Praia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 7.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $36 in Praia. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $346, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇻 Praia

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

2 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

127,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CVE = 10.15 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 98.5 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Praia 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Praia

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 Praia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,195 in Praia, so Praia is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 7.4 times higher, 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 $570 in Praia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $125 in Praia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Praia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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