Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Portland, ME and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,083 in South Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

147

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

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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South Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,083

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,083 in South Portland, ME versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

South Portland, ME $3,083
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,598 in South Portland, ME versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

South Portland, ME $4,598
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,113 in South Portland, ME versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

South Portland, ME $6,113
Barcelona $4,595

Living in South Portland, ME is roughly 26% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: South Portland, ME 128% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 $25.11

$17.66 €15.80

42.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$67.5 €60.4

75.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.81 $14.81

$13.61 €12.18

8.82%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$3.10 €2.77

72.90%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$3.00 €2.69

0.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.93 €1.72

21.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.11 $8.11

$3.84 €3.44

111.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$4.36 €3.90

80.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.25 €1.12

-13.60%

White Bread (500g)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.12 €1.90

116.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$1.97 €1.77

259.90%

Eggs

$4.05 $4.05

$4.76 €4.26

-14.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 $15.82

$17.07 €15.27

-7.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.27 $10.27

$8.96 €8.01

14.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$20.65 €18.48

-22.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$3.16 €2.83

52.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.97 €1.76

-13.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.65 €2.37

109.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.67 $7.67

$2.88 €2.58

166.32%

Potato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.06 €1.84

111.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.18 €1.95

66.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.53 €1.37

98.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$0.97 €0.87

169.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.12 $12.12

$6.97 €6.23

73.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 $15.01

$7.89 €7.06

90.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.42 €1.27

38.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.69 €2.40

-3.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 $2.07

$3.31 €2.96

-37.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.1 $57.1

$25.61 €22.91

122.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.08 €2.76

-17.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.48 €1.33

19.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.48 $28.48

$32.87 €29.42

-13.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.87 €1.67

-38.50%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.0K €29.5K

-17.36%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$31.9K €28.6K

-18.87%

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

$234 $234

$183 €164

28.03%

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

$68.1 $68.1

$14.24 €12.74

378.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.9 $77.9

$34.56 €30.93

125.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 $39.73

$51.4 €46.01

-22.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.99 $29.99

$16.38 €14.66

83.09%

Cinema Ticket

$15.04 $15.04

$11.06 €9.90

35.99%

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

$407 $407

$944 €844

-56.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.1K $27.1K

$22.3K €19.9K

21.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$87.7 €78.5

-41.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.39 $49.39

$38.77 €34.70

27.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$105 €93.6

-0.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$118 €105

11.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,926 $1,926

$1,697 €1,518

13.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$1,337 €1,196

17.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,164 $3,164

$2,692 €2,409

17.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,599 $2,599

$2,077 €1,858

25.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,781 $2,781

$7,155 €6,402

-61.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,340 $2,340

$5,079 €4,545

-53.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,216 $4,216

$2,241 €2,006

88.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

3.19

108.46%

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

Last update for South Portland, ME: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Portland, ME

$1.6K 50.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 14.7% $230

Groceries & Markets

South Portland, ME

$451 14.6%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 27.4% $124

Eating Out

South Portland, ME

$387 12.6%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 31.1% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Portland, ME

$380 12.3%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 39.1% $148

Clothing & Footwear

South Portland, ME

$151 4.9%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 3.7% $5.7

Getting Around

South Portland, ME

$77 2.5%

Barcelona

$49 2% 35.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

South Portland, ME

$70 2.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 5.4% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,926 in South Portland, ME and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

South Portland, ME pays 88% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $119 in South Portland, ME vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $451 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 South Portland, ME

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

23:21 11:21 PM

6 h ahead of South Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,498

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

South 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,083 in South Portland, ME and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 88% higher in South Portland, ME, 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: $1,926 in South Portland, ME versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $407 in South Portland, ME versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in South Portland, ME. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,083 in South Portland, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in South Portland, ME. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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, South Portland, ME and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in South Portland, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.