Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Alegre, Sao Tome and Principe and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Alegre: $199 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 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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Porto Alegre

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$199

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $199 in Porto Alegre versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Porto Alegre $199
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $412 in Porto Alegre versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Porto Alegre $412
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $625 in Porto Alegre versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Porto Alegre $625
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Porto Alegre costs roughly 92% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Porto Alegre is 85% below, Barcelona is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.80

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.16 STN 832

$67.5 €60.4

-43.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.71 STN 124

$13.61 €12.18

-58.05%

Cappuccino

$2.47 STN 53.8

$3.10 €2.77

-20.32%

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

$1.06 STN 23.12

$3.00 €2.69

-64.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 STN 19.18

$1.93 €1.72

-54.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 STN 50.2

$3.84 €3.44

-40.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 STN 45.37

$2.12 €1.90

-1.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 STN 22.61

$1.97 €1.77

-47.21%

Eggs

$2.32 STN 50.6

$4.76 €4.26

-51.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.61 STN 406

$17.07 €15.27

9.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.36 STN 269

$20.65 €18.48

-40.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 STN 49.93

$6.97 €6.23

-67.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 STN 24.94

$1.42 €1.27

-19.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.42

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

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

$33.0K €29.5K

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

$31.9K €28.6K

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

$183 €164

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

$14.24 €12.74

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.93

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €46.01

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.66

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.90

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

$944 €844

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.5

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.70

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,518

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,196

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,409

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,858

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,402

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,545

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,006

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

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

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 31, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto Alegre

–

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Groceries & Markets

Porto Alegre

–

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Eating Out

Porto Alegre

–

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto Alegre

–

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Porto Alegre

–

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Porto Alegre

–

Barcelona

$74 3%

Getting Around

Porto Alegre

–

Barcelona

$49 2%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38 in Porto Alegre vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $133 vs $328 per month, with Porto Alegre cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Porto Alegre

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h ahead of Porto Alegre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

795

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to STN – Sao Tome and Principe Dobra Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe Dobra (Db)

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 21.8 STN (100 STN = 4.59 USD). 1 EUR = 24.48 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Porto Alegre Barcelona 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto Alegre
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

Porto Alegre vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $199 in Porto Alegre and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Porto Alegre is about 92% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $298 in Porto Alegre and $3,664 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Porto Alegre – a meal for two runs $38 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $199 per month in Porto Alegre versus $2,443 in Barcelona – Porto Alegre is about 92% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $199 in Porto Alegre versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Porto Alegre but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Porto Alegre 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, Porto Alegre and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.