Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asmara and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,374 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
Learn more

Asmara Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,374

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,374 in Asmara versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Asmara $1,374
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,159 in Asmara versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Asmara $2,159
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,943 in Asmara versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Asmara $2,943
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Asmara costs roughly 42% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Asmara 1% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.76 ERN 312

$17.89 €15.92

16.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.78 ERN 507

$66.2 €58.9

-48.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 ERN 90.5

$13.69 €12.18

-56.03%

Cappuccino

$0.77 ERN 11.61

$3.06 €2.72

-74.84%

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

$1.02 ERN 15.37

$3.07 €2.73

-66.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 ERN 14.59

$1.94 €1.73

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.61 ERN 9.20

$3.87 €3.44

-84.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ERN 23.41

$1.30 €1.16

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 ERN 33.95

$1.83 €1.62

23.50%

Eggs

$4.48 ERN 67.3

$4.62 €4.11

-3.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.93 ERN 43.95

$17.36 €15.44

-83.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.11 ERN 407

$9.28 €8.25

192.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 ERN 149

$19.83 €17.64

-49.87%

Apples (1kg)

$12.25 ERN 184

$3.01 €2.68

306.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ERN 18.86

$2.03 €1.81

-37.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ERN 30.53

$2.65 €2.36

-23.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ERN 17.18

$2.87 €2.55

-60.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ERN 26.31

$2.16 €1.92

-18.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ERN 14.27

$2.15 €1.91

-55.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 ERN 33.78

$0.88 €0.79

155.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 ERN 180

$7.83 €6.96

53.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ERN 14.71

$1.39 €1.24

-29.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 ERN 15.43

$2.63 €2.34

-60.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ERN 2.10

$2.91 €2.59

-95.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.98 ERN 120

$25.46 €22.64

-68.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ERN 8.70

$1.44 €1.28

-59.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 ERN 153

$33.20 €29.53

-69.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.55 ERN 38.23

$1.86 €1.65

37.10%

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

$67.7K ERN 1.0M

$32.3K €28.8K

109.22%

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

$70.9K ERN 1.1M

$31.7K €28.2K

123.56%

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

$25.48 ERN 383

$183 €163

-86.06%

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

$68.1 ERN 1,023

$13.61 €12.11

400.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$201 ERN 3,012

$32.93 €29.29

508.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.63 ERN 400

$54.7 €48.65

-51.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.86 ERN 73.1

$16.52 €14.70

-70.58%

Cinema Ticket

$1.22 ERN 18.28

$11.23 €9.99

-89.14%

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

$24.87 ERN 374

$954 €849

-97.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,595 ERN 39.0K

$16.6K €14.8K

-84.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 ERN 2,060

$86.0 €76.5

59.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$122 ERN 1,837

$39.11 €34.78

212.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$197 ERN 2,964

$104 €92.2

90.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 ERN 2,229

$119 €106

25.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 ERN 3,781

$1,695 €1,508

-85.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ERN 2,984

$1,276 €1,135

-84.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$454 ERN 6,824

$2,576 €2,291

-82.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ERN 6,305

$1,922 €1,710

-78.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,247 ERN 18.7K

$7,281 €6,477

-82.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,481 ERN 37.3K

$5,010 €4,456

-50.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

265.85%

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

Last update for Asmara: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Asmara

$364 * 26.5%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 10.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asmara

$294 21.4%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 22% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Asmara

$272 19.8%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 42.6% $116

Eating Out

Asmara

$204 * 14.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 31.8% $65

Accommodation & Living

Asmara

$199 14.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 542% $1.1K

Sport & Entertainment

Asmara

$29 2.1%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 166% $48

Getting Around

Asmara

$11 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 314% $36

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 $252 in Asmara and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Asmara vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇷 Asmara

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

1 h behind Asmara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.92 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ERN – Eritrean Nakfa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.89 ERN (100 ERN = 5.92 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ERN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Asmara Barcelona 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Asmara
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

Asmara vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asmara and Barcelona differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($1,374 vs $2,381 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,062 in Asmara and $3,571 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $252 in Asmara versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 219% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $24.87 in Asmara versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,374 in Asmara versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara 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, Asmara 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 Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.