Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaves and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chaves and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chaves and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,064 in Chaves versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Chaves $1,064
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,607 in Chaves versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Chaves $1,607
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,150 in Chaves versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Chaves $2,150
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Chaves costs roughly 55% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chaves is 21% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.10

$17.89 €15.92

-55.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.32 €19.86

$66.2 €58.9

-66.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 €6.92

$13.69 €12.18

-43.17%

Cappuccino

$1.54 €1.37

$3.06 €2.72

-49.67%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$3.07 €2.73

-51.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.94 €1.73

-70.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.87 €3.44

-41.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$4.61 €4.10

-40.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.30 €1.16

-21.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.10 €1.87

-45.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.83 €1.62

-38.25%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$4.62 €4.11

-33.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 €5.54

$17.36 €15.44

-64.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 €5.81

$9.28 €8.25

-29.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$19.83 €17.64

-48.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$3.01 €2.68

-62.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.03 €1.81

-43.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$2.65 €2.36

-58.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.97

$2.87 €2.55

-61.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.16 €1.92

-6.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.15 €1.91

-47.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.47 €1.31

-4.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$0.88 €0.79

-10.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$6.93 €6.16

-13.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$7.83 €6.96

-48.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.39 €1.24

-17.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.63 €2.34

-56.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$2.91 €2.59

-70.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.67 €24.61

$25.46 €22.64

8.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$3.00 €2.66

32.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.44 €1.28

-52.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 €17.60

$33.20 €29.53

-40.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.86 €1.65

4.84%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$32.3K €28.8K

5.52%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$31.7K €28.2K

18.60%

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

$134 €119

$183 €163

-26.89%

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

$17.81 €15.84

$13.61 €12.11

30.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.19

$32.93 €29.29

-3.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.25 €22.46

$54.7 €48.65

-53.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.49 €4.88

$16.52 €14.70

-66.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 €6.35

$11.23 €9.99

-36.42%

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

$223 €199

$954 €849

-76.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,620 €3,220

$16.6K €14.8K

-78.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €63.9

$86.0 €76.5

-16.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.56 €20.07

$39.11 €34.78

-42.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.1

$104 €92.2

-39.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 €80.3

$119 €106

-23.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €425

$1,695 €1,508

-71.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 €336

$1,276 €1,135

-70.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €846

$2,576 €2,291

-63.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$1,922 €1,710

-61.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 €1,663

$7,281 €6,477

-74.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 €1,310

$5,010 €4,456

-70.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,015 €903

$2,227 €1,981

-54.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-8.54%

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

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaves

$378 35.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 238% $898

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaves

$183 17.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 25.2% $46

Groceries & Markets

Chaves

$182 17.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 78.2% $143

Eating Out

Chaves

$131 12.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 106% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Chaves

$111 10.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 40.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chaves

$40 3.7%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 95.2% $38

Getting Around

Chaves

$39 3.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 22.9% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Chaves and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 119% 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: $22.00 in Chaves vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $325 per month, with Chaves cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Chaves

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

13:43 1:43 PM

1 h ahead of Chaves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,592

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chaves Barcelona 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chaves
Barcelona

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

Chaves vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaves and Barcelona differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($1,064 vs $2,381 including rent). Chaves is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 119% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $478 in Chaves versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Chaves versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,064 in Chaves versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chaves but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Chaves 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, Chaves and Barcelona 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 Chaves gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.