Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tema and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $734 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$734

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $734 in Tema versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Tema $734
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,166 in Tema versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Tema $1,166
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,598 in Tema versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Tema $1,598
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Tema costs roughly 69% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tema is 46% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.64 GHS 77.2

$17.94 €15.96

-62.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.26 GHS 329

$68.1 €60.5

-58.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

Cappuccino

$4.97 GHS 57.9

$3.25 €2.89

52.92%

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

$0.88 GHS 10.23

$3.01 €2.67

-70.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 GHS 3.25

$1.87 €1.66

-85.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 GHS 37.45

$3.85 €3.42

-16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 GHS 29.85

$4.48 €3.98

-42.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.11 GHS 36.13

$1.29 €1.15

141.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 GHS 17.72

$2.04 €1.81

-25.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 GHS 23.45

$1.72 €1.53

17.44%

Eggs

$2.33 GHS 27.08

$4.77 €4.24

-51.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.27 GHS 49.67

$16.77 €14.92

-74.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 GHS 36.31

$8.93 €7.94

-65.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.48 GHS 40.50

$19.88 €17.68

-82.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 GHS 29.29

$2.98 €2.65

-15.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 GHS 25.37

$2.03 €1.80

7.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 GHS 24.19

$2.73 €2.43

-23.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 GHS 38.65

$2.68 €2.38

23.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 GHS 39.94

$2.10 €1.87

63.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 GHS 32.37

$2.08 €1.85

33.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 GHS 4.64

$1.45 €1.29

-72.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 GHS 8.30

$0.89 €0.79

-20.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 GHS 14.37

$6.94 €6.17

-82.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.72 GHS 101

$7.78 €6.92

12.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 GHS 24.97

$1.45 €1.29

48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 GHS 34.30

$2.57 €2.29

14.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 GHS 20.06

$2.99 €2.66

-42.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.78 GHS 474

$25.20 €22.41

61.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 GHS 25.35

$3.12 €2.77

-30.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 GHS 5.11

$1.44 €1.28

-69.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 GHS 13.84

$1.79 €1.59

-33.52%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

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

$30.1K €26.7K

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

$77.4 GHS 900

$178 €158

-56.49%

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

$14.74 GHS 171

$13.32 €11.85

10.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.4 GHS 935

$34.88 €31.03

130.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.40 GHS 272

$53.3 €47.37

-56.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 GHS 101

$11.06 €9.84

-21.34%

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

$167 GHS 1,946

$957 €851

-82.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,522 GHS 29.3K

$16.6K €14.7K

-84.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.00 GHS 151

$88.2 €78.4

-85.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.35 GHS 179

$39.49 €35.12

-61.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.57 GHS 495

$103 €91.5

-58.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.35 GHS 365

$121 €108

-74.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$129 GHS 1,503

$1,653 €1,470

-92.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.7 GHS 823

$1,302 €1,158

-94.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 GHS 5,037

$2,557 €2,275

-83.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 GHS 2,401

$1,915 €1,703

-89.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.2K GHS 118.1K

$7,286 €6,481

39.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 GHS 70.9K

$5,080 €4,519

20.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$423 GHS 4,924

$2,281 €2,029

-81.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

967.07%

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

Last update for Tema: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tema

$213 29.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 50.1% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tema

$173 23.5%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 31% $54

Eating Out

Tema

$139 * 18.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 94.8% $131

Accommodation & Living

Tema

$71 9.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 1741% $1.2K

Getting Around

Tema

$52 7.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 8.8% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Tema

$46 6.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 244% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Tema

$41 5.6%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 84.7% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $129 in Tema and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 439% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $28.00 in Tema vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $320 per month, with Tema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Tema

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

2 h ahead of Tema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tema Barcelona 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Tema
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

Tema vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tema and Barcelona differ by about 227% in total monthly costs ($734 vs $2,399 including rent). Tema is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 439% lower in Barcelona. 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: $129 in Tema versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $167 in Tema versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $734 in Tema versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tema but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Tema 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, Tema 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 Tema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 227% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.