Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hurghada and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Hurghada: $445 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hurghada, Egypt
Barcelona, Spain
Hurghada
🇪🇬 Egypt
$445
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $445 in Hurghada versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

  • Hurghada $445
  • Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $932 in Hurghada versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

  • Hurghada $932
  • Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,419 in Hurghada versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

  • Hurghada $1,419
  • Barcelona $4,564

Living in Hurghada costs roughly 82% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hurghada is 67% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hurghada
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.56 E£199
$17.59 €15.75
-79.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.24 E£2,140
$67.5 €60.5
-43.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.30 E£297
$13.53 €12.12
-60.83%
Cappuccino
$1.93 E£108
$3.19 €2.86
-39.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 E£25.24
$2.91 €2.61
-84.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.18 E£10.00
$1.89 €1.70
-90.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.75 E£98.1
$4.01 €3.59
-56.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 E£167
$4.53 €4.06
-34.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hurghada
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.89 E£49.54
$1.31 €1.17
-32.06%
White Bread (500g)
$0.79 E£44.20
$2.02 €1.81
-60.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.60 E£33.79
$1.85 €1.66
-67.57%
Eggs
$1.79 E£100
$4.83 €4.33
-62.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.09 E£173
$16.74 €14.99
-81.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.49 E£307
$9.12 €8.17
-39.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.34 E£522
$19.64 €17.59
-52.44%
Apples (1kg)
$1.38 E£77.2
$2.98 €2.67
-53.69%
Banana (1kg)
$0.50 E£27.97
$2.02 €1.81
-75.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.41 E£23.19
$2.70 €2.42
-84.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.37 E£20.48
$2.80 €2.51
-86.79%
Potato (1kg)
$0.32 E£17.93
$2.09 €1.87
-84.69%
Onion (1kg)
$0.35 E£19.55
$2.07 €1.85
-83.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.26 E£14.41
$1.46 €1.31
-82.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.17 E£9.26
$0.94 €0.84
-81.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.00 E£112
$6.87 €6.15
-70.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.36 E£412
$7.89 €7.06
-6.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 E£67.9
$1.41 €1.26
-14.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 E£92.0
$2.54 €2.27
-35.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Hurghada
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.08 E£4.35
$3.14 €2.82
-97.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.22 E£292
$25.45 €22.79
-79.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.90 E£50.6
$2.99 €2.68
-69.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 E£11.05
$1.49 €1.34
-86.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.77 E£98.9
$33.37 €29.89
-94.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.39 E£21.88
$1.80 €1.61
-78.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K E£1.7M
$33.2K €29.7K
-9.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K E£1.3M
$31.7K €28.4K
-29.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hurghada
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$24.18 E£1,353
$180 €162
-86.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.63 E£427
$13.84 €12.39
-44.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.75 E£490
$33.70 €30.18
-74.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hurghada
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.47 E£1,481
$51.5 €46.13
-48.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.84 E£327
$15.96 €14.29
-63.41%
Cinema Ticket
$3.28 E£184
$10.99 €9.85
-70.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hurghada
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$99.3 E£5,556
$917 €821
-89.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$595 E£33.3K
$16.5K €14.8K
-96.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hurghada
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.80 E£1,052
$87.0 €77.9
-78.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.81 E£1,724
$38.51 €34.49
-19.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$106 €94.8
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$26.42 E£1,478
$120 €107
-77.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hurghada
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$205 E£11.5K
$1,699 €1,522
-87.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$111 E£6,230
$1,355 €1,214
-91.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$216 E£12.1K
$2,603 €2,331
-91.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$542 E£30.3K
$2,062 €1,847
-73.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$513 E£28.7K
$6,915 €6,193
-92.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$572 E£32.0K
$5,128 €4,592
-88.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hurghada
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$141 E£7,861
$2,211 €1,980
-93.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
3.28
-

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

Last update for Hurghada: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Hurghada
$133
Barcelona
$322 142% $189
Accommodation & Living
Hurghada
$111
Barcelona
$1.4K 1117% $1.2K
Eating Out
Hurghada
$85
Barcelona
$268 216% $183
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hurghada
$41
Barcelona
$228 462% $187
Clothing & Footwear
Hurghada
$34 *
Barcelona
$158 362% $124
Sport & Entertainment
Hurghada
$33
Barcelona
$74 123% $40
Getting Around
Hurghada
$7.4
Barcelona
$48 553% $41

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 $205 in Hurghada and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 16 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Hurghada vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $133 vs $322 per month, with Hurghada cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Hurghada
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
01:24 1:24 AM
00:24 12:24 AM
1 h behind Hurghada
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
160,901
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 55.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.47 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hurghada Barcelona 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Hurghada
  • 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
Hurghada vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Hurghada and in Barcelona?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $445 in Hurghada and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Hurghada is about 82% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 94% lower in Hurghada. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Hurghada and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $205 in Hurghada versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Hurghada and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $99 in Hurghada versus $917 in Barcelona. 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 142% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $445 in Hurghada versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hurghada but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Hurghada the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Hurghada 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 Hurghada or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Hurghada and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Hurghada or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Hurghada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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