Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ponta Delgada and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ponta Delgada: $1,660 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Ponta Delgada
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Ponta Delgada Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,660

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Ponta Delgada versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Ponta Delgada $1,660
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,363 in Ponta Delgada versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Ponta Delgada $2,363
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,067 in Ponta Delgada versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Ponta Delgada $3,067
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Ponta Delgada costs roughly 32% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ponta Delgada 22% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.61 €12.15

$17.59 €15.69

-22.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 €40.00

$67.5 €60.2

-33.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 €9.57

$13.53 €12.07

-20.77%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.64

$3.19 €2.85

-42.32%

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

$1.83 €1.64

$2.91 €2.60

-37.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.89 €1.69

-2.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 €2.81

$4.01 €3.58

-21.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 €3.21

$4.53 €4.04

-20.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.31 €1.16

-29.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.02 €1.80

-21.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.85 €1.65

-3.24%

Eggs

$3.09 €2.75

$4.83 €4.31

-36.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.97

$16.74 €14.93

0.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 €10.13

$9.12 €8.14

24.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 €15.23

$19.64 €17.52

-13.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 €2.09

$2.98 €2.66

-21.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.02 €1.80

-17.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.70 €2.41

-19.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.80 €2.50

10.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$2.09 €1.86

-26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.07 €1.85

-21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.46 €1.30

91.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.94 €0.84

13.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 €4.57

$6.87 €6.13

-25.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.79 €5.17

$7.89 €7.04

-26.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.41 €1.25

67.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.79

$2.54 €2.26

23.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.48

$3.14 €2.80

-47.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 €50.0

$25.45 €22.70

120.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 €4.92

$2.99 €2.67

84.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.49 €1.33

-4.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €5.12

$33.37 €29.78

-82.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.80 €1.60

10.00%

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

$33.7K €30.1K

$33.2K €29.6K

1.50%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$31.7K €28.3K

23.46%

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

$143 €128

$180 €161

-20.77%

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

$18.68 €16.67

$13.84 €12.35

34.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.32 €38.65

$33.70 €30.06

28.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.39 €29.79

$51.5 €45.96

-35.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.50 €17.40

$15.96 €14.24

22.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 €8.25

$10.99 €9.81

-15.92%

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

$285 €254

$917 €818

-68.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,594 €5,883

$16.5K €14.7K

-59.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.31 €42.21

$87.0 €77.7

-45.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.91 €30.26

$38.51 €34.35

-11.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.9 €58.8

$106 €94.4

-37.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$120 €107

13.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 €1,027

$1,699 €1,516

-32.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €615

$1,355 €1,209

-49.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,250

$2,603 €2,322

-46.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 €831

$2,062 €1,840

-54.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,033 €3,598

$6,915 €6,169

-41.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,977 €2,656

$5,128 €4,575

-41.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,387 €1,237

$2,211 €1,972

-37.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.28

13.11%

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

Last update for Ponta Delgada: 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

Ponta Delgada

$689 41.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 96.8% $666

Groceries & Markets

Ponta Delgada

$310 18.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 3.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ponta Delgada

$205 12.4%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 11.2% $23

Eating Out

Ponta Delgada

$201 12.1%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 33.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Ponta Delgada

$128 7.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 23.9% $30

Getting Around

Ponta Delgada

$75 4.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 35.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Ponta Delgada

$52 3.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 41.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,152 in Ponta Delgada and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 59% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Ponta Delgada vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $322 per month, with Ponta Delgada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

00:55 12:55 AM

2 h ahead of Ponta Delgada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,233

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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Between locations

Ponta Delgada Barcelona 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ponta Delgada
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

Ponta Delgada vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,660 in Ponta Delgada and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Ponta Delgada is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Ponta Delgada. 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: $1,152 in Ponta Delgada versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $285 in Ponta Delgada 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 4% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,660 in Ponta Delgada versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ponta Delgada but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ponta Delgada 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, Ponta Delgada and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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