Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Madeira: $1,599 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
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Madeira Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,599

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Madeira versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Madeira $1,599
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,361 in Madeira versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Madeira $2,361
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,124 in Madeira versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Madeira $3,124
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Madeira costs roughly 35% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madeira 17% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.47 €10.30

$17.59 €15.80

-34.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.16 €41.48

$67.5 €60.6

-31.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 €8.29

$13.53 €12.15

-31.78%

Cappuccino

$2.06 €1.85

$3.19 €2.87

-35.42%

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

$1.86 €1.67

$2.91 €2.62

-36.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.26

$1.89 €1.70

-25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 €2.03

$4.01 €3.60

-43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.19

$4.53 €4.07

-21.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.31 €1.17

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.37

$2.02 €1.81

-24.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.85 €1.66

-12.97%

Eggs

$3.02 €2.71

$4.83 €4.34

-37.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 €10.06

$16.74 €15.04

-33.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 €6.92

$9.12 €8.19

-15.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 €12.60

$19.64 €17.64

-28.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.98 €2.68

-20.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.27

$2.02 €1.81

-30.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.67

$2.70 €2.43

-31.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.25

$2.80 €2.52

-10.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.37

$2.09 €1.87

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.07 €1.86

-6.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.46 €1.31

6.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.75

$0.94 €0.84

-11.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 €5.52

$6.87 €6.17

-10.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 €4.80

$7.89 €7.09

-32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.12

$1.41 €1.26

-12.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.16

$2.54 €2.28

-5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €2.04

$3.14 €2.82

-27.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.12 €37.84

$25.45 €22.86

65.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 €3.71

$2.99 €2.69

38.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.49 €1.34

-45.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.47 €15.70

$33.37 €29.99

-47.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.80 €1.62

6.11%

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

$34.7K €31.2K

$33.2K €29.8K

4.56%

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

$39.2K €35.2K

$31.7K €28.5K

23.63%

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

$137 €123

$180 €162

-23.87%

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

$21.23 €19.08

$13.84 €12.43

53.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.41 €37.20

$33.70 €30.28

22.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.27 €39.78

$51.5 €46.28

-14.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.51 €15.73

$15.96 €14.34

9.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 €7.32

$10.99 €9.88

-25.84%

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

$476 €428

$917 €824

-48.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,168 €7,339

$16.5K €14.8K

-50.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €65.1

$87.0 €78.2

-16.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.12 €34.25

$38.51 €34.60

-1.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 €83.0

$106 €95.1

-12.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 €84.4

$120 €108

-21.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 €818

$1,699 €1,527

-46.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €651

$1,355 €1,218

-46.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 €1,317

$2,603 €2,339

-43.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,059

$2,062 €1,853

-42.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,005 €2,700

$6,915 €6,213

-56.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,314 €2,079

$5,128 €4,607

-54.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

3.28

52.74%

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

Last update for Madeira: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madeira

$725 45.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 87% $631

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 31.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$200 12.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 14% $28

Eating Out

Madeira

$176 11%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 52.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$134 8.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 18.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$61 3.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 21.3% $13

Getting Around

Madeira

$59 3.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 18.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $910 in Madeira and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46 in Madeira vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $322 per month, with Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h ahead of Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madeira Barcelona 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
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

Madeira vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madeira and Barcelona differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $2,453 including rent). Madeira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,399 in Madeira and $3,679 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $910 in Madeira versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Madeira versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Madeira is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Madeira 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.