Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portlaoise and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Portlaoise: $1,924 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Ireland

$1,924

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in Portlaoise versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Portlaoise $1,924
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,046 in Portlaoise versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Portlaoise $3,046
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,168 in Portlaoise versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Portlaoise $4,168
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Portlaoise 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: Portlaoise 41% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.81 €16.84

$17.59 €15.75

6.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 €70.0

$67.5 €60.5

15.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 €10.95

$13.53 €12.12

-9.61%

Cappuccino

$3.93 €3.52

$3.19 €2.86

23.20%

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

$2.15 €1.92

$2.91 €2.61

-26.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.89 €1.70

-31.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.13

$4.01 €3.59

70.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.88

$4.53 €4.06

20.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.31 €1.17

25.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.02 €1.81

12.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.85 €1.66

-29.73%

Eggs

$7.65 €6.86

$4.83 €4.33

58.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.98 €2.67

-26.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.02 €1.81

12.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.70 €2.42

-17.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.09 €1.87

-47.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.43 €17.40

$6.87 €6.15

182.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.55 €4.07

$3.14 €2.82

44.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.78 €40.11

$25.45 €22.79

75.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.23 €5.58

$2.99 €2.68

108.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.49 €1.34

-4.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.81 €16.84

$33.37 €29.89

-43.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.80 €1.61

12.22%

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

$40.4K €36.1K

$33.2K €29.7K

21.60%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$31.7K €28.4K

5.03%

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

$234 €209

$180 €162

29.64%

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

$33.50 €30.00

$13.84 €12.39

142.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 €50.7

$33.70 €30.18

67.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 €50.1

$51.5 €46.13

8.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$16.74 €14.99

$10.99 €9.85

52.32%

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

$917 €821

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,113 €4,579

$16.5K €14.8K

-68.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.80 €24.90

$38.51 €34.49

-27.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 €61.1

$106 €94.8

-35.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 €1,085

$1,699 €1,522

-28.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 €883

$1,355 €1,214

-27.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,082

$2,603 €2,331

-10.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,104 €1,885

$2,062 €1,847

2.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,851 €2,554

$2,211 €1,980

28.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.28

6.71%

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

Last update for Portlaoise: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portlaoise

–

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Groceries & Markets

Portlaoise

–

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Eating Out

Portlaoise

–

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portlaoise

–

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Portlaoise

–

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Portlaoise

–

Barcelona

$74 3%

Getting Around

Portlaoise

–

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,211 in Portlaoise and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portlaoise pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78 in Portlaoise vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $112 vs $322, with Portlaoise cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Portlaoise

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:21 11:21 PM

00:21 12:21 AM

1 h ahead of Portlaoise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,494

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portlaoise Barcelona 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Portlaoise
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

Portlaoise vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,924 in Portlaoise and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Portlaoise is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Portlaoise, 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: $1,211 in Portlaoise versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $78 in Portlaoise. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 43% less than in Portlaoise. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Portlaoise and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.