Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Volta Redonda

For one person, living is cheaper in Volta Redonda: $817 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Volta Redonda
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Volta Redonda Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Volta Redonda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Volta Redonda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $817 in Volta Redonda.

Barcelona $2,399
Volta Redonda $817

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,294 in Volta Redonda.

Barcelona $3,410
Volta Redonda $1,294

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,771 in Volta Redonda.

Barcelona $4,421
Volta Redonda $1,771

Living in Barcelona is roughly 194% more expensive than in Volta Redonda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Volta Redonda is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$3.07 R$15.58

484.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$40.42 R$205

68.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$6.74 R$34.16

97.03%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.49 R$12.63

30.52%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$1.44 R$7.30

109.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.62 R$3.14

201.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$2.36 R$11.97

63.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.50 R$22.81

-0.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.01 R$5.14

27.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.93 R$9.76

5.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.23 R$6.24

39.84%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$2.39 R$12.10

99.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$6.84 R$34.65

145.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$3.26 R$16.52

173.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$10.03 R$50.9

98.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.17 R$11.01

37.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.18 R$5.98

72.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$0.98 R$4.96

178.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.05 R$10.42

30.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.47 R$7.43

42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.24 R$6.30

67.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.59 R$2.98

145.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.49 R$2.48

81.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$1.58 R$8.00

339.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$8.78 R$44.49

-11.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.13 R$5.74

28.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.66 R$8.40

54.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.97 R$4.90

208.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$35.59 R$180

-29.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.58 R$7.99

97.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.99 R$5.01

45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$10.40 R$52.7

222.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.23 R$6.25

45.53%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$24.2K R$122.8K

43.00%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$33.7K R$170.6K

-10.68%

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

$178 €158

$96.2 R$488

84.86%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$11.25 R$57.0

18.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$22.11 R$112

57.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$30.50 R$155

74.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$7.71 R$39.09

43.45%

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

$957 €851

$149 R$756

541.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$3,034 R$15.4K

445.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$45.44 R$230

94.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$39.63 R$201

-0.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$50.6 R$256

103.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$94.3 R$478

28.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$276 R$1,398

499.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$204 R$1,033

538.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$590 R$2,988

333.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$387 R$1,959

395.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$831 R$4,215

776.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$674 R$3,414

654.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$303 R$1,536

652.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

11.68

-71.92%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Volta Redonda: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Volta Redonda

$204 24.9% 84.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Volta Redonda

$185 22.6% 42.3% $136

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Volta Redonda

$104 12.7% 61.6% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Volta Redonda

$130 15.9% 42.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Volta Redonda

$103 12.7% 34.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Volta Redonda

$46 5.6% 39.1% $29

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Volta Redonda

$46 5.6% 3.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $276 in Volta Redonda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 652% 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 $40.00 in Volta Redonda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $185 per month, with Volta Redonda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇷 Volta Redonda

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

261,563

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Volta Redonda 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Volta Redonda

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 Volta Redonda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Volta Redonda differ by about 194% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $817 including rent). Volta Redonda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 652% 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 $276 in Volta Redonda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $149 in Volta Redonda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $817 in Volta Redonda versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Volta Redonda but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Volta Redonda 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 Volta Redonda 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 Volta Redonda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 194% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.