Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Elmina
🇬🇭 Ghana
$668
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,399
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Elmina 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 Elmina and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $668 in Elmina versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

  • Elmina $668
  • Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,125 in Elmina versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

  • Elmina $1,125
  • Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,582 in Elmina versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

  • Elmina $1,582
  • Barcelona $4,421

Living in Elmina costs roughly 72% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elmina is 51% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Elmina
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.82 GHS 91.0
$17.94 €15.96
-56.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.8 GHS 591
$68.1 €60.5
-25.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.26 GHS 119
$13.28 €11.81
-22.74%
Cappuccino
$4.46 GHS 51.9
$3.25 €2.89
37.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 GHS 17.85
$3.01 €2.67
-49.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 GHS 5.12
$1.87 €1.66
-76.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.81 GHS 21.03
$3.85 €3.42
-52.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 GHS 25.19
$4.48 €3.98
-51.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Elmina
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.67 GHS 42.68
$1.29 €1.15
184.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.67 GHS 19.37
$2.04 €1.81
-18.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.06 GHS 35.63
$1.72 €1.53
77.91%
Eggs
$2.68 GHS 31.21
$4.77 €4.24
-43.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.03 GHS 140
$16.77 €14.92
-28.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.08 GHS 82.3
$8.93 €7.94
-20.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.62 GHS 112
$19.88 €17.68
-51.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.61 GHS 41.93
$2.98 €2.65
21.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 GHS 16.32
$2.03 €1.80
-31.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 GHS 20.58
$2.73 €2.43
-35.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.56 GHS 41.44
$2.68 €2.38
32.84%
Potato (1kg)
$2.69 GHS 31.29
$2.10 €1.87
28.10%
Onion (1kg)
$2.65 GHS 30.82
$2.08 €1.85
27.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 GHS 8.34
$1.45 €1.29
-50.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 GHS 7.02
$0.89 €0.79
-32.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.51 GHS 29.19
$6.94 €6.17
-63.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.06 GHS 82.1
$7.78 €6.92
-9.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 GHS 14.10
$1.45 €1.29
-16.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 GHS 27.14
$2.57 €2.29
-9.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Elmina
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$2.99 €2.66
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$25.20 €22.41
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.74 GHS 20.29
$3.12 €2.77
-44.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.26 GHS 14.65
$1.44 €1.28
-12.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.30 GHS 50.0
$33.50 €29.80
-87.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 GHS 15.58
$1.79 €1.59
-25.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$7,913 GHS 92.0K
$34.6K €30.8K
-77.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$9,662 GHS 112.4K
$30.1K €26.7K
-67.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Elmina
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.7 GHS 857
$178 €158
-58.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.07 GHS 222
$13.32 €11.85
43.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.25 GHS 491
$34.88 €31.03
21.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Elmina
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$53.3 €47.37
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$16.01 €14.24
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.66 GHS 147
$11.06 €9.84
14.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Elmina
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$470 GHS 5,464
$957 €851
-50.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.6K GHS 216.6K
$16.6K €14.7K
12.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Elmina
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.18 GHS 165
$88.2 €78.4
-83.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.59 GHS 216
$39.49 €35.12
-52.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$36.74 GHS 427
$103 €91.5
-64.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$52.0 GHS 605
$121 €108
-57.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Elmina
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,653 €1,470
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,302 €1,158
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,557 €2,275
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,915 €1,703
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,286 €6,481
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$5,080 €4,519
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Elmina
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,281 €2,029
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
26.75
3.28
715.55%

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

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Elmina
$276
Barcelona
$320 15.8% $44
Eating Out
Elmina
$168
Barcelona
$270 60.6% $102
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Elmina
$135
Barcelona
$226 67.4% $91
Clothing & Footwear
Elmina
$55
Barcelona
$158 190% $104
Sport & Entertainment
Elmina
$25 *
Barcelona
$75 198% $50
Getting Around
Elmina
$8 *
Barcelona
$47 490% $39
Accommodation & Living
Elmina
- *
Barcelona
$1.3K

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $51.0 in Elmina vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $320 per month, with Elmina cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇭 Elmina
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
11:36 11:36 AM
13:36 1:36 PM
2 h ahead of Elmina
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
34,403
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Elmina Barcelona 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Elmina
  • 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
Elmina vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Elmina and in Barcelona?
Elmina and Barcelona differ by about 259% in total monthly costs ($668 vs $2,399 including rent). Elmina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Elmina compared to Barcelona?
You'd need roughly $1,001 in Elmina and $3,599 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Elmina and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $470 in Elmina versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Elmina – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $668 in Elmina versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elmina but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Elmina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Elmina and Barcelona?
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 Elmina or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Elmina 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.
Where should expats move: Elmina or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Elmina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 259% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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