Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Puerto de la Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto de la Cruz: $1,912 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Puerto de la Cruz
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Puerto de la Cruz Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Puerto de la Cruz

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Puerto de la Cruz

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 Puerto de la Cruz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz.

Barcelona $2,399
Puerto de la Cruz $1,912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,769 in Puerto de la Cruz.

Barcelona $3,410
Puerto de la Cruz $2,769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,625 in Puerto de la Cruz.

Barcelona $4,421
Puerto de la Cruz $3,625

Living in Barcelona is roughly 25% more expensive than in Puerto de la Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Puerto de la Cruz 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$13.53 €12.04

32.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$61.4 €54.6

10.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$10.06 €8.95

32.01%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.58 €2.29

25.97%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$1.90 €1.69

58.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.53 €1.36

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$2.86 €2.54

34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$3.59 €3.20

24.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.10 €0.98

17.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.62 €1.44

25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.65 €1.47

4.24%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.70 €3.29

28.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$12.22 €10.87

37.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$10.00 €8.89

-10.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$13.61 €12.10

46.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.55 €2.27

16.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.06 €1.83

-1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.48 €1.32

84.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.58 €2.29

3.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.35 €2.09

-10.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.31 €2.05

-9.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.02 €1.79

-28.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.81 €0.72

9.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$4.17 €3.71

66.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$6.52 €5.80

19.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.37 €1.22

5.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.68 €2.38

-4.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$41.93 €37.29

-39.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.31 €2.94

-5.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.28 €2.02

-36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$28.23 €25.11

18.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.65 €1.47

8.48%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.1K €31.2K

-1.29%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$28.4K €25.3K

5.75%

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

$178 €158

$111 €98.4

60.76%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$19.16 €17.04

-30.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$28.08 €24.97

24.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$16.72 €14.87

-4.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$9.15 €8.14

20.87%

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

$957 €851

$481 €428

98.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$6,713 €5,971

146.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$88.7 €78.9

-0.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$37.90 €33.71

4.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$88.9 €79.1

15.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$120 €107

1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,133 €1,008

45.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,049 €933

24.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,891 €1,682

35.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,577 €1,403

21.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,614 €3,215

101.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,478 €3,093

46.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,345 €1,196

69.57%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Puerto de la Cruz: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Puerto de la Cruz

$1K 54.9% 19.4% $253

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Puerto de la Cruz

$275 14.4% 14.1% $45

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Puerto de la Cruz

$205 10.7% 24.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Puerto de la Cruz

$158 8.3% 30.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Puerto de la Cruz

$151 7.9% 4.7% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Puerto de la Cruz

$18 * 1% 75.7% $57

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Puerto de la Cruz

$57 * 3% 19.3% $9.1

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 $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,133 in Puerto de la Cruz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 70% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $61.0 in Puerto de la Cruz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $275 per month, with Puerto de la Cruz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Puerto de la Cruz

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

09:50 9:50 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

30,849

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Puerto de la Cruz 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Puerto de la Cruz

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 Puerto de la Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Puerto de la Cruz differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,912 including rent). Puerto de la Cruz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 70% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,133 in Puerto de la Cruz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $481 in Puerto de la Cruz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Puerto de la Cruz but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto de la Cruz 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 Puerto de la Cruz 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 Puerto de la Cruz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.