Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sao Joao da Madeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Madeira: $1,510 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
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Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sao Joao da Madeira

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 Sao Joao da Madeira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Barcelona $2,399
Sao Joao da Madeira $1,510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,107 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Barcelona $3,410
Sao Joao da Madeira $2,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $2,704 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Barcelona $4,421
Sao Joao da Madeira $2,704

Living in Barcelona is roughly 59% more expensive than in Sao Joao da Madeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Sao Joao da Madeira 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$10.06 €8.95

78.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$19.79 €17.60

243.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$7.85 €6.98

69.17%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$1.14 €1.01

185.09%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$1.09 €0.97

176.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.97 €0.87

92.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.32 €2.95

15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.17 €1.93

106.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.85 €0.75

51.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$0.32 €0.28

537.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.14 €1.01

50.88%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$2.68 €2.39

77.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$8.58 €7.63

95.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$5.52 €4.91

61.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$6.51 €5.79

205.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.03 €1.81

46.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.35 €1.20

50.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.83 €1.63

49.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.85 €2.54

-5.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.97 €1.75

6.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.88 €1.67

10.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.24 €1.10

16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.98 €0.87

-9.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.28 €5.59

10.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$4.53 €4.03

71.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.21 €1.07

19.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.63 €1.45

57.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.24 €1.99

33.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$39.68 €35.29

-36.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$4.33 €3.85

-27.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.78 €1.58

-19.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$16.67 €14.83

100.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.90 €1.69

-5.79%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$33.1K €29.4K

4.69%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$37.7K €33.5K

-20.16%

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

$178 €158

$110 €97.7

61.95%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$16.96 €15.08

-21.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$46.09 €40.99

-24.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$37.59 €33.44

41.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$15.09 €13.42

6.10%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$5.44 €4.84

103.31%

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

$957 €851

$341 €303

180.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$10.0K €8,932

64.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$65.5 €58.3

34.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$37.57 €33.42

5.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$82.7 €73.5

24.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$98.5 €87.6

23.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$957 €851

72.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$768 €683

69.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,517 €1,349

68.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,164 €1,035

64.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$2,957 €2,631

146.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$2,267 €2,017

124.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,048 €932

117.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.55

-7.61%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$768 50.8% 41% $534

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12.2% 42.4% $136

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$147 9.7% 45.6% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$173 11.5% 23.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$128 8.5% 19.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$48 3.2% 35.7% $27

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$62 4.1% 30.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 118% 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 $20.00 in Sao Joao da Madeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $184 per month, with Sao Joao da Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

22,144

💱 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 Sao Joao da Madeira 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sao Joao da Madeira

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 Sao Joao da Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sao Joao da Madeira differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,510 including rent). Sao Joao da Madeira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 118% 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 $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $341 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Joao da Madeira but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Joao da Madeira 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 Sao Joao da Madeira 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 Sao Joao da Madeira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.