Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, ME and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,262 in Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Portland, ME
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Portland, ME Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,262

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,262 in Portland, ME versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Portland, ME $3,262
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Portland, ME versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Portland, ME $4,710
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,158 in Portland, ME versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Portland, ME $6,158
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Portland, ME is roughly 33% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portland, ME 140% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.87 $24.87

$17.59 €15.80

41.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$67.5 €60.6

78.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.86 $14.86

$13.53 €12.15

9.83%

Cappuccino

$6.12 $6.12

$3.19 €2.87

91.85%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$2.91 €2.62

3.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.89 €1.70

30.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.01 €3.60

100.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$4.53 €4.07

77.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.31 €1.17

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.02 €1.81

129.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.56 $8.56

$1.85 €1.66

362.70%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$4.83 €4.34

-18.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.77 $18.77

$16.74 €15.03

12.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 $10.33

$9.12 €8.19

13.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$19.64 €17.64

-16.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.98 €2.68

55.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.02 €1.81

-15.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.70 €2.43

116.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.84 $6.84

$2.80 €2.52

144.29%

Potato (1kg)

$6.36 $6.36

$2.09 €1.87

204.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.07 €1.86

83.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.46 €1.31

118.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.94 €0.84

170.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.12 $12.12

$6.87 €6.17

76.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$7.89 €7.08

90.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.41 €1.26

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.54 €2.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.14 €2.82

-36.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$25.45 €22.86

137.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.99 €2.69

-32.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.49 €1.34

6.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 $10.80

$33.37 €29.98

-67.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.80 €1.61

-42.22%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.2K €29.8K

-16.99%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$31.7K €28.5K

-17.62%

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

$224 $224

$180 €162

24.03%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$13.84 €12.43

402.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.4 $76.4

$33.70 €30.27

126.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 $51.8

$51.5 €46.27

0.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.22 $39.22

$15.96 €14.34

145.74%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 $13.96

$10.99 €9.88

27.02%

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

$1,263 $1,263

$917 €823

37.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$87.0 €78.2

-39.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.2 $81.2

$38.51 €34.59

110.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$106 €95.1

-3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$120 €108

10.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 $2,102

$1,699 €1,527

23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 $1,703

$1,355 €1,217

25.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 $3,156

$2,603 €2,338

21.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 $2,524

$2,062 €1,853

22.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,509 $5,509

$6,915 €6,211

-20.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,978 $3,978

$5,128 €4,606

-22.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,598 $4,598

$2,211 €1,986

107.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

3.28

98.17%

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

Last update for Portland, ME: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portland, ME

$1.7K 52.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 20.4% $348

Groceries & Markets

Portland, ME

$470 14.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 31.5% $148

Eating Out

Portland, ME

$395 12.1%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 32.2% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portland, ME

$370 11.3%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 38.3% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Portland, ME

$166 5.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 4.8% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Portland, ME

$80 2.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 7.8% $6.2

Getting Around

Portland, ME

$78 2.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 38.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,102 in Portland, ME and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portland, ME pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $120 in Portland, ME vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $470 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portland, ME

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

5 h ahead of Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

652,503

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Portland, ME Barcelona 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Portland, ME
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

Portland, ME vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portland, ME and Barcelona differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($3,262 vs $2,453 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Portland, ME is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,102 in Portland, ME versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,263 in Portland, ME 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 46% higher in Portland, ME. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,262 in Portland, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Portland, ME. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barcelona is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Portland, ME, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Portland, ME 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Portland, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.