Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $669 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$669

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $669 in Balikpapan versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Balikpapan $669
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,057 in Balikpapan versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Balikpapan $1,057
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,444 in Balikpapan versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Balikpapan $1,444
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Balikpapan costs roughly 73% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Balikpapan is 51% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$17.59 €15.71

-92.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.88 Rp 197.7K

$67.5 €60.3

-83.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$13.53 €12.08

-77.68%

Cappuccino

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$3.19 €2.85

-57.99%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,320

$2.91 €2.60

-87.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,034

$1.89 €1.69

-79.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

$4.01 €3.58

-43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

$4.53 €4.05

-22.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$1.31 €1.17

-13.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 Rp 19.1K

$2.02 €1.80

-48.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.3K

$1.85 €1.65

-36.76%

Eggs

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

$4.83 €4.32

-49.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 Rp 129.7K

$16.74 €14.95

-57.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 Rp 54.1K

$9.12 €8.14

-67.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 Rp 156.8K

$19.64 €17.54

-56.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

$2.98 €2.66

-26.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

$2.02 €1.80

-35.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

$2.70 €2.41

-42.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$2.80 €2.50

-57.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$2.09 €1.86

-42.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 Rp 35.5K

$2.07 €1.85

-5.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$1.46 €1.30

-42.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$0.94 €0.84

-23.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

$6.87 €6.14

-74.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.12 Rp 383.5K

$7.89 €7.04

167.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

$1.41 €1.26

26.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 54.0K

$2.54 €2.26

17.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,151

$3.14 €2.81

-92.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 Rp 208.8K

$25.45 €22.73

-54.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

$2.99 €2.67

-62.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,189

$1.49 €1.33

-80.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

$33.37 €29.81

-91.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 Rp 13.7K

$1.80 €1.61

-58.33%

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

$23.2K Rp 420.9M

$33.2K €29.6K

-30.18%

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

$31.4K Rp 570.2M

$31.7K €28.3K

-0.95%

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

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

$180 €161

-64.46%

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

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

$13.84 €12.36

-69.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 Rp 535.4K

$33.70 €30.10

-12.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.84 Rp 432.9K

$51.5 €46.01

-53.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 Rp 150.3K

$15.96 €14.26

-48.18%

Cinema Ticket

$2.82 Rp 51.3K

$10.99 €9.82

-74.34%

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

$91.6 Rp 1.7M

$917 €819

-90.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,145 Rp 166.1M

$16.5K €14.7K

-44.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.81 Rp 686.7K

$87.0 €77.7

-56.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 338.9K

$38.51 €34.39

-51.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 Rp 2.5M

$106 €94.5

32.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

$120 €107

-40.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 Rp 3.6M

$1,699 €1,518

-88.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 Rp 2.6M

$1,355 €1,211

-89.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 Rp 10.2M

$2,603 €2,325

-78.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 Rp 6.6M

$2,062 €1,842

-82.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,323 Rp 24.0M

$6,915 €6,176

-80.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$777 Rp 14.1M

$5,128 €4,580

-84.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$2,211 €1,975

-89.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

3.28

188.41%

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

Last update for Balikpapan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Balikpapan

$206 30.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 56.3% $116

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$143 21.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 846% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$120 18%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 31.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$98 14.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 133% $130

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$58 8.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 366% $210

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 149% $44

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$15 2.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 224% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Balikpapan and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 9.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Balikpapan vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $322 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

06:49 6:49 AM

7 h behind Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Balikpapan Barcelona 12,130 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
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

Balikpapan vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $669 in Balikpapan and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Balikpapan is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Balikpapan. 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: $197 in Balikpapan versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Balikpapan runs roughly 55% less than in Barcelona. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $92 in Balikpapan versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $669 in Balikpapan versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan 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, Balikpapan and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Balikpapan 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.