Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tema

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $746 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Tema

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $746 in Tema.

Barcelona $2,453
Tema $746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,186 in Tema.

Barcelona $3,509
Tema $1,186

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,627 in Tema.

Barcelona $4,564
Tema $1,627

Living in Barcelona is roughly 229% more expensive than in Tema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Tema is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$7.04 GHS 82.1

149.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$27.68 GHS 322

143.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.09 GHS 59.3

-37.33%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.85 GHS 9.85

242.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.30 GHS 3.50

530.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.31 GHS 38.54

21.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.56 GHS 29.77

76.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$3.25 GHS 37.90

-59.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.54 GHS 17.94

31.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.98 GHS 23.07

-6.57%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.37 GHS 27.61

103.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$4.27 GHS 49.70

292.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$3.18 GHS 37.02

186.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$3.43 GHS 39.94

472.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.63 GHS 30.60

13.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.11 GHS 24.57

-4.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.20 GHS 25.59

22.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.48 GHS 40.58

-19.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.34 GHS 38.93

-37.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.75 GHS 32.06

-24.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.44 GHS 5.18

231.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.66 GHS 7.64

42.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$1.32 GHS 15.35

420.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$8.67 GHS 101

-9.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.16 GHS 25.22

-34.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.04 GHS 35.43

-16.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.69 GHS 19.70

85.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$41.27 GHS 481

-38.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.11 GHS 24.59

41.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.41 GHS 4.83

263.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.14 GHS 13.30

57.89%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

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

$31.7K €28.4K

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

$180 €162

$76.6 GHS 892

135.68%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$14.89 GHS 173

-7.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$83.0 GHS 967

-59.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$23.21 GHS 270

121.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.76 GHS 102

25.46%

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

$917 €821

$174 GHS 2,024

427.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$2,582 GHS 30.1K

538.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$12.97 GHS 151

571.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$15.23 GHS 177

152.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$43.68 GHS 509

142.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$32.85 GHS 383

264.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$127 GHS 1,478

1239.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$72.0 GHS 838

1783.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$436 GHS 5,078

497.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$217 GHS 2,527

850.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$9,800 GHS 114.2K

-29.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$5,945 GHS 69.3K

-13.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$419 GHS 4,883

427.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-90.63%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tema: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Tema

$72 9.7% 94.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Tema

$216 28.9% 33% $106

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Tema

$144 * 19.3% 46.4% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Tema

$174 23.4% 23.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Tema

$47 6.3% 70.2% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Tema

$41 5.5% 44.6% $33

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Tema

$52 7% 7.7% $3.8

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $127 in Tema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $28 in Tema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $216 per month, with Tema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇭 Tema

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

160,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 GHS = 8.58 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, 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).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 11.65 GHS (100 GHS = 8.58 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Tema 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Tema

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 Tema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $746 in Tema, so Tema is about 70% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 5.3 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 $127 in Tema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $174 in Tema. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% 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.

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