Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Joao da Madeira and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Madeira: $1,540 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
Learn more

Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,540

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,540 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Sao Joao da Madeira $1,540
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,128 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,128
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,717 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,717
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Sao Joao da Madeira costs roughly 37% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sao Joao da Madeira 13% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.94 €8.90

$17.59 €15.75

-43.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.79 €17.73

$67.5 €60.5

-70.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.62 €6.83

$13.53 €12.12

-43.68%

Cappuccino

$1.10 €0.98

$3.19 €2.86

-65.52%

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

$1.13 €1.02

$2.91 €2.61

-61.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$1.89 €1.70

-47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.94

$4.01 €3.59

-18.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.53 €4.06

-49.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.31 €1.17

-33.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.33 €0.29

$2.02 €1.81

-83.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.85 €1.66

-40.54%

Eggs

$2.69 €2.41

$4.83 €4.33

-44.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 €7.42

$16.74 €14.99

-50.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 €5.13

$9.12 €8.17

-37.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 €6.08

$19.64 €17.59

-65.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 €1.89

$2.98 €2.67

-29.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.02 €1.81

-32.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.70 €2.42

-34.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.80 €2.51

-1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$2.09 €1.87

-8.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.07 €1.85

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.46 €1.31

-16.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.94 €0.84

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.96

$6.87 €6.15

-3.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.57 €4.09

$7.89 €7.06

-42.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.41 €1.26

-12.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.54 €2.27

-36.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 €1.86

$3.14 €2.82

-33.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.34 €37.92

$25.45 €22.79

66.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 €3.93

$2.99 €2.68

46.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.49 €1.34

14.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.51 €14.79

$33.37 €29.89

-50.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.80 €1.61

0.56%

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

$32.9K €29.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

-0.76%

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

$37.5K €33.6K

$31.7K €28.4K

18.27%

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

$109 €97.2

$180 €162

-39.84%

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

$16.99 €15.22

$13.84 €12.39

22.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.95 €42.04

$33.70 €30.18

39.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.19 €34.21

$51.5 €46.13

-25.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 €13.22

$15.96 €14.29

-7.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.48 €4.91

$10.99 €9.85

-50.14%

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

$321 €287

$917 €821

-65.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,990 €8,947

$16.5K €14.8K

-39.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.6 €57.9

$87.0 €77.9

-25.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.62 €32.80

$38.51 €34.49

-4.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.9

$106 €94.8

-22.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 €86.8

$120 €107

-19.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 €858

$1,699 €1,522

-43.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 €716

$1,355 €1,214

-41.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 €1,448

$2,603 €2,331

-37.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,056

$2,062 €1,847

-42.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,130 €2,804

$6,915 €6,193

-54.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,469 €2,211

$5,128 €4,592

-51.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,059 €949

$2,211 €1,980

-52.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

3.28

8.23%

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

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: 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

Sao Joao da Madeira

$799 51.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 69.6% $556

Groceries & Markets

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 74.7% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Joao da Madeira

$172 11.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 32.2% $55

Eating Out

Sao Joao da Madeira

$145 9.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 84.7% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Joao da Madeira

$126 8.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 25.1% $32

Getting Around

Sao Joao da Madeira

$64 4.1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 23.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Joao da Madeira

$49 3.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 49.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $958 in Sao Joao da Madeira and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $20 in Sao Joao da Madeira vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $322 per month, with Sao Joao da Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

1 h ahead of Sao Joao da Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,144

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

Sao Joao da Madeira Barcelona 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Joao da Madeira
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

Sao Joao da Madeira vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,540 in Sao Joao da Madeira and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Sao Joao da Madeira is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Sao Joao da Madeira. 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: $958 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $321 in Sao Joao da Madeira 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 75% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Sao Joao da Madeira is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Sao Joao da Madeira and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sao Joao da Madeira wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.