Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Aktau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $790 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
Learn more

Aktau Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Aktau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Aktau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $790 in Aktau, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Aktau $790

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $1,315 in Aktau, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Aktau $1,315

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $1,840 in Aktau, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Aktau $1,840

Barcelona costs about 211% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Barcelona sits 80% above the global median, while Aktau is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$11.03 ₸5,002

59.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$43.54 ₸19.7K

55.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.90 ₸4,492

36.67%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.59 ₸1,177

23.17%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.79 ₸356

268.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.49 ₸222

285.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.37 ₸620

192.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$1.59 ₸720

184.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.47 ₸669

-10.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.50 ₸228

304.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.90 ₸860

-2.63%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.69 ₸768

185.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$10.02 ₸4,543

67.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$4.16 ₸1,885

119.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$8.58 ₸3,892

128.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.53 ₸693

94.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.32 ₸1,054

-12.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.34 ₸1,063

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.78 ₸1,262

0.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.66 ₸301

216.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.57 ₸260

263.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.48 ₸673

-1.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.91 ₸413

3.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$2.59 ₸1,176

165.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$9.37 ₸4,249

-15.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.78 ₸354

80.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$0.92 ₸417

176.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.16 ₸70.4

1862.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.09 ₸496

174.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.64 ₸291

132.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.66 ₸301

172.73%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$31.4K ₸14.2M

0.92%

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

$180 €162

$45.62 ₸20.7K

295.46%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$8.07 ₸3,662

71.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$10.70 ₸4,852

214.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$36.05 ₸16.4K

42.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$3.03 ₸1,373

262.71%

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

$917 €821

$146 ₸66.2K

527.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$2,678 ₸1.2M

515.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$67.3 ₸30.5K

29.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$39.80 ₸18.1K

-3.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$71.6 ₸32.5K

47.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$89.2 ₸40.5K

34.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$328 ₸149.0K

417.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$193 ₸87.8K

600.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$544 ₸246.7K

378.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$393 ₸178.2K

424.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$806 ₸365.8K

757.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$657 ₸297.9K

680.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$553 ₸250.8K

299.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-76.57%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aktau: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Aktau

$193 24.5% 85.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Aktau

$200 25.3% 37.8% $122

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Aktau

$164 20.8% 38.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Aktau

$64 8.2% 71.8% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Aktau

$121 15.3% 23.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Aktau

$42 5.3% 42.7% $31

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Aktau

$4.9 * 0.6% 89.8% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $328 in Aktau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Barcelona are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $44 in Aktau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $200 – making Aktau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇿 Aktau

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

4 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

273,830

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 454 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Aktau 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Aktau

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

Barcelona vs Aktau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 211% more than Aktau, 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 $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $1,185 in Aktau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $328 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona and $44 in Aktau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Barcelona, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Aktau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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