Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldonado and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,368 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,368

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Maldonado versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Maldonado $1,368
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,178 in Maldonado versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Maldonado $2,178
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,988 in Maldonado versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Maldonado $2,988
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Maldonado costs roughly 43% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Maldonado 1% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 UYU 597

$17.89 €15.92

-16.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 UYU 2,202

$66.2 €58.9

-17.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 UYU 558

$13.69 €12.18

1.61%

Cappuccino

$4.57 UYU 183

$3.06 €2.72

49.35%

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

$2.65 UYU 106

$3.07 €2.73

-13.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 UYU 84.2

$1.94 €1.73

8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 UYU 118

$3.87 €3.44

-23.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 UYU 145

$4.61 €4.10

-21.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 UYU 45.19

$1.30 €1.16

-13.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.10 €1.87

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.1

$1.83 €1.62

-3.28%

Eggs

$3.98 UYU 160

$4.62 €4.11

-13.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 UYU 566

$17.36 €15.44

-18.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 UYU 454

$9.28 €8.25

21.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.61 UYU 466

$19.83 €17.64

-41.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 UYU 112

$3.01 €2.68

-7.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 UYU 86.0

$2.03 €1.81

5.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.65 €2.36

-33.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 UYU 126

$2.87 €2.55

9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 UYU 80.2

$2.16 €1.92

-7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$2.15 €1.91

-6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.4

$1.47 €1.31

-2.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.3

$0.88 €0.79

121.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 UYU 221

$6.93 €6.16

-20.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 UYU 326

$7.83 €6.96

3.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 UYU 93.3

$1.39 €1.24

66.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 UYU 109

$2.63 €2.34

3.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 UYU 56.8

$2.91 €2.59

-51.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.89 UYU 1,962

$25.46 €22.64

92.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 UYU 136

$3.00 €2.66

13.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 UYU 17.53

$1.44 €1.28

-69.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.25 UYU 411

$33.20 €29.53

-69.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 UYU 89.9

$1.86 €1.65

20.43%

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

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

$32.3K €28.8K

-17.67%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$31.7K €28.2K

16.63%

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

$116 UYU 4,644

$183 €163

-36.69%

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

$19.18 UYU 770

$13.61 €12.11

40.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.04 UYU 1,808

$32.93 €29.29

36.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 UYU 1,936

$54.7 €48.65

-11.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.20 UYU 1,212

$16.52 €14.70

82.81%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 UYU 484

$11.23 €9.99

7.30%

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

$496 UYU 19.9K

$954 €849

-47.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,515 UYU 261.5K

$16.6K €14.8K

-60.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 UYU 3,625

$86.0 €76.5

4.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.34 UYU 1,498

$39.11 €34.78

-4.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,014

$104 €92.2

20.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 UYU 4,729

$119 €106

-0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 UYU 17.1K

$1,695 €1,508

-74.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 UYU 12.7K

$1,276 €1,135

-75.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 UYU 36.9K

$2,576 €2,291

-64.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 UYU 24.1K

$1,922 €1,710

-68.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,803 UYU 112.5K

$7,281 €6,477

-61.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,541 UYU 61.8K

$5,010 €4,456

-69.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,014 UYU 40.7K

$2,227 €1,981

-54.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

52.44%

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

Last update for Maldonado: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maldonado

$317 23.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 2.6% $8.1

Accommodation & Living

Maldonado

$315 23.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 305% $961

Eating Out

Maldonado

$257 18.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 5.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldonado

$180 13.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 27.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Maldonado

$167 12.2%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 6.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Maldonado

$72 5.3%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 6.7% $4.8

Getting Around

Maldonado

$60 4.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 21.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Maldonado and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 120% 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: $55.0 in Maldonado vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $325 per month, with Maldonado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

13:44 1:44 PM

5 h ahead of Maldonado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,592

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maldonado Barcelona 10,290 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldonado
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

Maldonado vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maldonado and Barcelona differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $2,381 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 120% 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: $426 in Maldonado versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Maldonado 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 3% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,368 in Maldonado versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado 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, Maldonado 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 Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.