Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pontevedra and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Pontevedra: $1,473 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Pontevedra
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Pontevedra Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Pontevedra

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,473

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,473 in Pontevedra versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Pontevedra $1,473
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,271 in Pontevedra versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Pontevedra $2,271
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,069 in Pontevedra versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Pontevedra $3,069
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Pontevedra costs roughly 38% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pontevedra 9% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.07 €13.41

$17.89 €15.92

-15.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 €49.36

$66.2 €58.9

-16.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 €9.13

$13.69 €12.18

-25.05%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$3.06 €2.72

-31.37%

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

$2.54 €2.26

$3.07 €2.73

-17.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.94 €1.73

-9.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 €3.04

$3.87 €3.44

-11.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$4.61 €4.10

-12.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 €0.76

$1.30 €1.16

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 €1.16

$2.10 €1.87

-37.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.83 €1.62

-4.92%

Eggs

$3.10 €2.75

$4.62 €4.11

-32.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.13 €10.79

$17.36 €15.44

-30.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.61 €6.77

$9.28 €8.25

-18.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 €14.49

$19.83 €17.64

-17.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.01 €2.68

-25.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.40

$2.03 €1.81

-22.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.65 €2.36

-31.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.87 €2.55

-12.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 €1.23

$2.16 €1.92

-35.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.15 €1.91

-27.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.47 €1.31

-23.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$0.88 €0.79

-26.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.49 €5.77

$6.93 €6.16

-6.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.60 €4.98

$7.83 €6.96

-28.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.39 €1.24

-1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.63 €2.34

-25.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.91 €2.59

-43.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 €25.38

$25.46 €22.64

12.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 €4.18

$3.00 €2.66

56.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.44 €1.28

-22.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.37 €19.90

$33.20 €29.53

-32.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.86 €1.65

-12.37%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$32.3K €28.8K

8.31%

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

$30.3K €26.9K

$31.7K €28.2K

-4.53%

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

$166 €148

$183 €163

-9.26%

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

$16.01 €14.24

$13.61 €12.11

17.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.02 €30.26

$32.93 €29.29

3.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 €60.0

$54.7 €48.65

23.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.08 €21.42

$16.52 €14.70

45.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 €8.14

$11.23 €9.99

-18.52%

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

$515 €458

$954 €849

-45.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,171 €7,269

$16.6K €14.8K

-50.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.4

$86.0 €76.5

-1.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.10 €36.56

$39.11 €34.78

5.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.2

$104 €92.2

-14.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$119 €106

11.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 €547

$1,695 €1,508

-63.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 €449

$1,276 €1,135

-60.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 €1,006

$2,576 €2,291

-56.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 €797

$1,922 €1,710

-53.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 €2,441

$7,281 €6,477

-62.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,501 €2,225

$5,010 €4,456

-50.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,540 €1,370

$2,227 €1,981

-30.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

3.28

9.15%

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

Last update for Pontevedra: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pontevedra

$505 34.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 153% $772

Groceries & Markets

Pontevedra

$246 16.7%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 31.9% $79

Eating Out

Pontevedra

$219 14.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 23.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pontevedra

$216 14.7%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 6.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Pontevedra

$156 10.6%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Pontevedra

$86 5.8%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 10% $8.6

Getting Around

Pontevedra

$45 3.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 4.4% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $614 in Pontevedra and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 45% 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 Pontevedra vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $325 per month, with Pontevedra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Pontevedra

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

Same time as Pontevedra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,535

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

Pontevedra Barcelona 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pontevedra
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

Pontevedra vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pontevedra and Barcelona differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,473 vs $2,381 including rent). Pontevedra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% 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: $614 in Pontevedra versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $515 in Pontevedra 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 32% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,473 in Pontevedra versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pontevedra but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Pontevedra 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, Pontevedra 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 Pontevedra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.