Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,216 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,216

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,216 in Port Elizabeth versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Port Elizabeth $1,216
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,835 in Port Elizabeth versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Port Elizabeth $1,835
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,453 in Port Elizabeth versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Port Elizabeth $2,453
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Port Elizabeth costs roughly 49% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Elizabeth is 10% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.00 R 181

$17.94 €15.96

-38.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.67 R 687

$68.1 €60.5

-38.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 R 96.2

$13.28 €11.81

-56.02%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 35.81

$3.25 €2.89

-33.23%

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

$1.03 R 16.91

$3.01 €2.67

-65.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.59

$1.87 €1.66

-59.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.37

$3.85 €3.42

-30.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.3

$4.48 €3.98

-27.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.39

$1.29 €1.15

-13.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$2.04 €1.81

-49.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.94

$1.72 €1.53

-12.21%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.35

$4.77 €4.24

-41.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 R 141

$16.77 €14.92

-48.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 R 87.7

$8.93 €7.94

-40.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$19.88 €17.68

-57.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 R 36.04

$2.98 €2.65

-26.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.58

$2.03 €1.80

-26.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.04

$2.73 €2.43

-37.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.74

$2.68 €2.38

-32.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.41

$2.10 €1.87

-20.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.83

$2.08 €1.85

-30.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 R 20.72

$1.45 €1.29

-13.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.39

$0.89 €0.79

11.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 R 53.8

$6.94 €6.17

-53.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 R 79.4

$7.78 €6.92

-38.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.99

$1.45 €1.29

-12.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 30.00

$2.57 €2.29

-29.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R 18.17

$2.99 €2.66

-63.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.67 R 604

$25.20 €22.41

45.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 R 33.68

$3.12 €2.77

-34.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.25

$1.44 €1.28

-65.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 R 139

$33.50 €29.80

-74.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.38

$1.79 €1.59

-17.32%

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

$35.8K R 589.5K

$34.6K €30.8K

3.32%

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

$34.1K R 562.5K

$30.1K €26.7K

13.55%

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

$125 R 2,058

$178 €158

-29.76%

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

$34.90 R 575

$13.32 €11.85

162.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.55 R 734

$34.88 €31.03

27.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.20 R 530

$53.3 €47.37

-39.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.27 R 383

$16.01 €14.24

45.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.74 R 177

$11.06 €9.84

-2.89%

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

$177 R 2,924

$957 €851

-81.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,046 R 99.6K

$16.6K €14.7K

-63.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 R 1,193

$88.2 €78.4

-17.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 R 631

$39.49 €35.12

-3.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,806

$103 €91.5

6.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 R 1,574

$121 €108

-21.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 R 9,859

$1,653 €1,470

-63.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 R 6,838

$1,302 €1,158

-68.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 R 13.3K

$2,557 €2,275

-68.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$682 R 11.2K

$1,915 €1,703

-64.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.6K

$7,286 €6,481

-89.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$522 R 8,604

$5,080 €4,519

-89.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,625 R 26.8K

$2,281 €2,029

-28.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

3.28

264.02%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Elizabeth

$415 34.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 214% $887

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Elizabeth

$204 16.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 10.6% $22

Groceries & Markets

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 62.8% $124

Eating Out

Port Elizabeth

$159 13.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 70.2% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 11.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Port Elizabeth

$54 4.4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 40.4% $22

Getting Around

Port Elizabeth

$46 3.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 4% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $598 in Port Elizabeth and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 40% 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: $42.00 in Port Elizabeth vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $320 per month, with Port Elizabeth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

Same time as Port Elizabeth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,050,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Elizabeth Barcelona 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Elizabeth
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

Port Elizabeth vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Elizabeth and Barcelona differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($1,216 vs $2,399 including rent). Port Elizabeth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% 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: $598 in Port Elizabeth versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $177 in Port Elizabeth versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,216 in Port Elizabeth versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Elizabeth but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Port Elizabeth 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, Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.