Side by side

Barcelona vs Lisbon

Lisbon wins on more metrics — 2–4 on the 8 core metrics we track. Detail below.

Metric

Barcelona

Lisbon

Cost of living

B vs A: -23%

58✓

Rent · 1BR center

B vs A: +4%

$1,400

$1,450

Effective tax (remote)

B vs A: -7%

30%

28%✓

Healthcare

B vs A: -6%

80✓

Safety

B vs A: +30%

78✓

Internet

B vs A: -10%

200✓

180

Climate

B vs A: ≈ same

Freedom

B vs A: +23%

96✓

Beaches and Gaudí. Tourism-driven rent inflation and tighter STR rules make residency harder than 5 years ago.

Sun-soaked Atlantic capital with a thriving digital nomad scene, friendly visa pathways, and EU access — but rising rents.