Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ambato and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambato: $605 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Ambato
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Ambato Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ambato

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$605

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $605 per month in Ambato vs $2,399 in Barcelona, rent included.

Ambato $605
Barcelona $2,399

A couple spends around $985 per month in Ambato vs $3,410 in Barcelona, rent included.

Ambato $985
Barcelona $3,410

A family of three spends $1,364 per month in Ambato vs $4,421 in Barcelona, rent included.

Ambato $1,364
Barcelona $4,421

Ambato is about 75% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ambato sits 55% below the global median, while Barcelona is 78% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 $3.46

$17.94 €15.96

-80.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.93 $29.93

$68.1 €60.5

-56.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 $5.32

$13.28 €11.81

-59.94%

Cappuccino

$2.76 $2.76

$3.25 €2.89

-15.08%

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

$0.82 $0.82

$3.01 €2.67

-72.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.87 €1.66

-59.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.85 €3.42

-49.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$4.48 €3.98

-28.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.29 €1.15

-24.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.04 €1.81

-51.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.72 €1.53

-8.72%

Eggs

$1.73 $1.73

$4.77 €4.24

-63.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$16.77 €14.92

-67.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$8.93 €7.94

-65.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$19.88 €17.68

-80.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.98 €2.65

-57.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 $0.88

$2.03 €1.80

-56.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.73 €2.43

-62.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.68 €2.38

-61.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.10 €1.87

-63.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.08 €1.85

-52.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.45 €1.29

-49.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.89 €0.79

15.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 $5.15

$6.94 €6.17

-25.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 $8.78

$7.78 €6.92

12.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.45 €1.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.57 €2.29

9.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$2.99 €2.66

-90.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.21 $14.21

$25.20 €22.41

-43.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$3.12 €2.77

-55.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.44 €1.28

-22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.43 $9.43

$33.50 €29.80

-71.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.79 €1.59

-51.96%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$34.6K €30.8K

-32.63%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$30.1K €26.7K

-6.39%

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

$39.20 $39.20

$178 €158

-77.96%

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

$13.58 $13.58

$13.32 €11.85

1.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 $26.39

$34.88 €31.03

-24.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 $29.76

$53.3 €47.37

-44.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 $4.39

$11.06 €9.84

-60.31%

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

$224 $224

$957 €851

-76.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,408 $2,408

$16.6K €14.7K

-85.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.25 $48.25

$88.2 €78.4

-45.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.22 $35.22

$39.49 €35.12

-10.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 $71.2

$103 €91.5

-30.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 $55.5

$121 €108

-54.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$178 $178

$1,653 €1,470

-89.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$124 $124

$1,302 €1,158

-90.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 $380

$2,557 €2,275

-85.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 $273

$1,915 €1,703

-85.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,130 $1,130

$7,286 €6,481

-84.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$884 $884

$5,080 €4,519

-82.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$679 $679

$2,281 €2,029

-70.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

174.39%

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

Last update for Ambato: 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

Ambato

$147 24.3%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 118% $173

Accommodation & Living

Ambato

$124 20.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 948% $1.2K

Eating Out

Ambato

$99 16.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 172% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Ambato

$95 15.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 67.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ambato

$79 13.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 186% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Ambato

$39 6.4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 95.6% $37

Getting Around

Ambato

$22 3.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 113% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $178 in Ambato versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 236% higher in Barcelona, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Ambato versus $68.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $320 – making Ambato the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ambato

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

06:26 6:26 AM

7 h ahead of Ambato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,185

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ambato Barcelona 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ambato
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

Ambato vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 297% more than Ambato, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $908 per month in Ambato and $3,599 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ambato, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Ambato and $68.0 in Barcelona. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $605 in Ambato and $2,399 in Barcelona. That's a gap of about 297%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ambato, where all-in costs run around $605, than in Barcelona at $2,399. In Ambato it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ambato costs $605 versus $2,399 in Barcelona. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ambato. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.