Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $887 in Macaé versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Macaé $887
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,495 in Macaé versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Macaé $1,495
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,102 in Macaé versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Macaé $2,102
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Macaé costs roughly 63% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Macaé is 35% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.43 R$27.54

$17.89 €15.92

-69.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.78 R$151

$66.2 €58.9

-54.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 R$35.00

$13.69 €12.18

-49.53%

Cappuccino

$1.72 R$8.73

$3.06 €2.72

-43.79%

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

$1.39 R$7.04

$3.07 €2.73

-54.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.18

$1.94 €1.73

-67.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 R$6.16

$3.87 €3.44

-68.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 R$14.16

$4.61 €4.10

-39.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 R$4.85

$1.30 €1.16

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 R$7.91

$2.10 €1.87

-25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.99

$1.83 €1.62

-24.59%

Eggs

$1.94 R$9.85

$4.62 €4.11

-58.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 R$46.21

$17.36 €15.44

-47.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 R$16.92

$9.28 €8.25

-64.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 R$49.10

$19.83 €17.64

-51.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 R$9.40

$3.01 €2.68

-38.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.11

$2.03 €1.81

-40.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.85

$2.65 €2.36

-63.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$2.87 €2.55

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 R$3.23

$2.16 €1.92

-70.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.09

$2.15 €1.91

-62.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 R$2.73

$1.47 €1.31

-63.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 R$2.64

$0.88 €0.79

-40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 R$7.88

$6.93 €6.16

-77.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 R$30.86

$7.83 €6.96

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.82

$1.39 €1.24

-31.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 R$6.35

$2.63 €2.34

-52.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 R$8.16

$2.91 €2.59

-44.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.9 R$425

$25.46 €22.64

229.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 R$7.14

$3.00 €2.66

-53.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.03

$1.44 €1.28

-45.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 R$40.16

$33.20 €29.53

-76.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.86 €1.65

-30.65%

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

$21.5K R$109.0K

$32.3K €28.8K

-33.51%

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

$31.2K R$158.2K

$31.7K €28.2K

-1.59%

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

$100.0 R$507

$183 €163

-45.31%

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

$10.21 R$51.7

$13.61 €12.11

-24.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 R$95.1

$32.93 €29.29

-43.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.82 R$202

$54.7 €48.65

-27.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.04 R$173

$16.52 €14.70

106.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.79 R$34.44

$11.23 €9.99

-39.54%

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

$648 R$3,283

$954 €849

-32.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,012 R$35.5K

$16.6K €14.8K

-57.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 R$320

$86.0 €76.5

-26.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 R$162

$39.11 €34.78

-18.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 R$339

$104 €92.2

-35.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.66 R$237

$119 €106

-60.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 R$1,873

$1,695 €1,508

-78.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 R$1,221

$1,276 €1,135

-81.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 R$4,490

$2,576 €2,291

-65.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R$3,392

$1,922 €1,710

-65.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,270 R$6,436

$7,281 €6,477

-82.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$800 R$4,054

$5,010 €4,456

-84.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$799 R$4,049

$2,227 €1,981

-64.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

3.28

225.30%

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

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macaé

$241 27.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 430% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$169 19.1%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 91.9% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 77.9% $100

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 158% $165

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 50.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$94 10.6%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 66.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$53 6%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 44.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $370 in Macaé and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 179% 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: $30.00 in Macaé vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $325 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

13:16 1:16 PM

5 h ahead of Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

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

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Macaé Barcelona 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Macaé
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

Macaé vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé and Barcelona differ by about 168% in total monthly costs ($887 vs $2,381 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 179% 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: $370 in Macaé versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $648 in Macaé 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 92% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $887 in Macaé versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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, Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.