Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matosinhos and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Matosinhos: $1,913 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Matosinhos
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Matosinhos Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Matosinhos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,913

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,913 in Matosinhos versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Matosinhos $1,913
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,802 in Matosinhos versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Matosinhos $2,802
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,691 in Matosinhos versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Matosinhos $3,691
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Matosinhos costs roughly 22% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Matosinhos 41% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.36 €11.96

$17.59 €15.75

-24.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.26 €43.22

$67.5 €60.5

-28.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.89

$13.53 €12.12

-26.68%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.41

$3.19 €2.86

-15.67%

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

$2.00 €1.79

$2.91 €2.61

-31.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.89 €1.70

-19.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 €1.96

$4.01 €3.59

-45.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.09

$4.53 €4.06

-23.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.31 €1.17

-16.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.02 €1.81

-16.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.85 €1.66

-8.65%

Eggs

$3.41 €3.06

$4.83 €4.33

-29.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 €10.55

$16.74 €14.99

-29.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.04 €6.31

$9.12 €8.17

-22.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.72 €13.18

$19.64 €17.59

-25.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.98 €2.67

-25.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$2.02 €1.81

-24.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.70 €2.42

-30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.80 €2.51

-11.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.09 €1.87

-24.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$2.07 €1.85

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.44

$1.46 €1.31

9.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.94 €0.84

-18.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 €5.59

$6.87 €6.15

-9.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.88

$7.89 €7.06

-31.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.41 €1.26

-3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.88

$2.54 €2.27

-17.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.47

$3.14 €2.82

-12.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.24 €40.51

$25.45 €22.79

77.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.32 €3.87

$2.99 €2.68

44.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.49 €1.34

-44.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.87 €12.43

$33.37 €29.89

-58.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.80 €1.61

23.89%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$33.2K €29.7K

0.39%

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

$37.8K €33.9K

$31.7K €28.4K

19.34%

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

$164 €147

$180 €162

-8.84%

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

$22.58 €20.23

$13.84 €12.39

63.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.82 €29.39

$33.70 €30.18

-2.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 €55.9

$51.5 €46.13

21.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.39 €19.16

$15.96 €14.29

34.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 €8.12

$10.99 €9.85

-17.56%

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

$564 €505

$917 €821

-38.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,403

$16.5K €14.8K

-36.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.8 €84.9

$87.0 €77.9

8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 €33.19

$38.51 €34.49

-3.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 €83.8

$106 €94.8

-11.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.7

$120 €107

-11.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 €1,055

$1,699 €1,522

-30.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 €850

$1,355 €1,214

-30.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,238 €2,005

$2,603 €2,331

-14.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 €1,400

$2,062 €1,847

-24.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,277 €3,830

$6,915 €6,193

-38.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,731 €3,341

$5,128 €4,592

-27.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,563 €1,400

$2,211 €1,980

-29.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

3.28

11.89%

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

Last update for Matosinhos: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matosinhos

$949 49.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 42.9% $407

Groceries & Markets

Matosinhos

$249 13%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 29.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matosinhos

$220 11.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 3.7% $8.1

Eating Out

Matosinhos

$201 10.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 33.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Matosinhos

$149 7.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 6% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Matosinhos

$81 4.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 8.8% $7.1

Getting Around

Matosinhos

$65 3.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 25% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,178 in Matosinhos and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 41% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Matosinhos vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $322 per month, with Matosinhos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Matosinhos

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:11 10:11 AM

11:11 11:11 AM

1 h ahead of Matosinhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,586

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Matosinhos Barcelona 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Matosinhos
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

Matosinhos vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,913 in Matosinhos and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Matosinhos is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Matosinhos. 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: $1,178 in Matosinhos versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $564 in Matosinhos 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 29% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Matosinhos and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Matosinhos wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.