Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Yaounde

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $782 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,399
/mo nomad
Yaounde
🇨🇲 Cameroon
$782
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Yaounde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $782 in Yaounde.

  • Barcelona $2,399
  • Yaounde $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,206 in Yaounde.

  • Barcelona $3,410
  • Yaounde $1,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,629 in Yaounde.

  • Barcelona $4,421
  • Yaounde $1,629

Living in Barcelona is roughly 207% more expensive than in Yaounde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Yaounde is 42% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Yaounde
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.94 €15.96
$3.50 FCFA 2,040
412.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 €60.5
$50.7 FCFA 29.6K
34.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.28 €11.81
$4.97 FCFA 2,896
167.20%
Cappuccino
$3.25 €2.89
$1.87 FCFA 1,089
73.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.67
$1.46 FCFA 854
106.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 €1.66
$0.56 FCFA 324
233.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.85 €3.42
$1.20 FCFA 698
220.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 €3.98
$1.68 FCFA 980
166.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Yaounde
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 €1.15
$3.62 FCFA 2,109
-64.36%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 €1.81
$1.03 FCFA 602
98.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$1.27 FCFA 743
35.43%
Eggs
$4.77 €4.24
$2.02 FCFA 1,179
136.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.77 €14.92
$13.86 FCFA 8,080
21.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.93 €7.94
$6.02 FCFA 3,509
48.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.88 €17.68
$6.42 FCFA 3,744
209.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.65
$4.97 FCFA 2,899
-40.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.80
$1.95 FCFA 1,139
4.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.73 €2.43
$1.99 FCFA 1,159
37.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.68 €2.38
$1.35 FCFA 786
98.52%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.63 FCFA 952
28.83%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.39 FCFA 813
49.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.12 FCFA 654
29.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 €0.79
$0.65 FCFA 381
36.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.94 €6.17
$1.68 FCFA 982
313.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.78 €6.92
$8.25 FCFA 4,808
-5.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.32 FCFA 772
9.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 €2.29
$1.94 FCFA 1,132
32.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Yaounde
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.99 €2.66
$0.52 FCFA 305
475.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.20 €22.41
$17.19 FCFA 10.0K
46.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.12 €2.77
$0.62 FCFA 363
403.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$0.45 FCFA 261
220.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.50 €29.80
$5.87 FCFA 3,422
470.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 €1.59
$1.46 FCFA 848
22.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K €30.8K
$32.6K FCFA 19.0M
6.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K €26.7K
$21.2K FCFA 12.4M
41.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Yaounde
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 €158
$80.1 FCFA 46.7K
121.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.32 €11.85
$17.16 FCFA 10.0K
-22.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.88 €31.03
$51.3 FCFA 29.9K
-31.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Yaounde
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.3 €47.37
$23.85 FCFA 13.9K
123.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.01 €14.24
$6.93 FCFA 4,041
131.02%
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.84
$8.32 FCFA 4,849
32.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Yaounde
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$957 €851
$615 FCFA 358.4K
55.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.7K
$2,333 FCFA 1.4M
610.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Yaounde
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.2 €78.4
$16.75 FCFA 9,767
426.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.49 €35.12
$27.41 FCFA 16.0K
44.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €91.5
$25.17 FCFA 14.7K
308.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$55.8 FCFA 32.6K
117.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Yaounde
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 €1,470
$142 FCFA 83.0K
1060.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,302 €1,158
$183 FCFA 106.7K
611.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,557 €2,275
$408 FCFA 238.1K
526.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,915 €1,703
$208 FCFA 121.2K
821.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,286 €6,481
$855 FCFA 498.8K
751.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,080 €4,519
$589 FCFA 343.7K
761.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Yaounde
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,281 €2,029
$185 FCFA 107.8K
1133.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
13
-74.77%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Yaounde: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Yaounde
$183 85.9% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$320
Yaounde
$249 22.3% $71
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Yaounde
$83 69.4% $187
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$226
Yaounde
$149 34.3% $78
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Yaounde
$56 64.4% $102
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$75
Yaounde
$40 46.3% $35
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Yaounde
$22 53.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $142 in Yaounde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 1133% 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 $51.0 in Yaounde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $249 per month, with Yaounde cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇨🇲 Yaounde
🕒 Local time
02:31 2:31 AM
01:31 1:31 AM
1 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
1,817,524 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Yaounde 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Yaounde

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 Yaounde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Yaounde?
Barcelona and Yaounde differ by about 207% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $782 including rent). Yaounde is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Barcelona or Yaounde?
Average pay runs 1133% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Yaounde?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $142 in Yaounde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Yaounde?
Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $615 in Yaounde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $782 in Yaounde versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yaounde but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Yaounde the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Yaounde?
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.
Is Barcelona or Yaounde safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Yaounde are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Yaounde?
Expats usually find Yaounde gentler on the wallet – expenses run 207% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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