Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Almaty: $1,363 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Almaty

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 Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,381 per month in Barcelona vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Barcelona $2,381
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $3,406 per month in Barcelona vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Barcelona $3,406
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $4,431 per month in Barcelona vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Barcelona $4,431
Almaty $2,900

Barcelona costs about 75% more than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Barcelona and Almaty sit above the global median – Barcelona by 76%, Almaty by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$13.05 ₸5,899

37.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$43.44 ₸19.6K

52.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$8.76 ₸3,962

56.28%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.32 ₸1,501

-7.83%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.34 ₸607

129.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.83 ₸374

133.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.36 ₸1,518

15.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.02 ₸1,818

14.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.65 ₸747

-21.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.93 ₸421

125.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.05 ₸927

-10.73%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.46 ₸1,113

87.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$12.49 ₸5,646

38.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$6.71 ₸3,035

38.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$10.85 ₸4,905

82.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.78 ₸807

69.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.25 ₸1,018

-9.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.87 ₸1,299

-7.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.71 ₸1,227

5.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.80 ₸362

170.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.55 ₸249

290.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.62 ₸732

-9.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.00 ₸453

-12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$2.58 ₸1,167

168.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$11.15 ₸5,039

-29.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.26 ₸572

10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.48 ₸1,120

6.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.28 ₸128

939.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$22.05 ₸9,970

15.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.34 ₸607

123.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.64 ₸288

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$11.04 ₸4,993

200.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.72 ₸326

158.33%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

14.92%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

-0.32%

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

$183 €163

$90.5 ₸40.9K

101.90%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$10.63 ₸4,805

28.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$18.12 ₸8,190

81.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-20.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-38.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.77 ₸3,062

65.88%

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

$954 €849

$444 ₸200.6K

115.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

38.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-6.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-18.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$139 ₸63.0K

-25.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$131 ₸59.4K

-9.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$777 ₸351.2K

118.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$494 ₸223.4K

158.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,439 ₸650.4K

79.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$905 ₸409.2K

112.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,470 ₸1.1M

194.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,517 ₸685.7K

230.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$857 ₸387.2K

159.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

20.65

-84.12%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 61.3% $782

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 22.9% $75

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Almaty

$204 15% 24.3% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 48% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 18.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 7% $5.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Almaty

$28 2% 41.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Barcelona versus $777 in Almaty. 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 160% 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 $66.0 in Barcelona versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $251 – making Almaty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

01:34 1:34 AM

4 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KZT = 2.21 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 October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Almaty 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Almaty

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 Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,571 per month in Barcelona and $2,044 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Almaty, 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 $66.0 in Barcelona and $43.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,381 in Barcelona and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 75%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Almaty, where all-in costs run around $1,363, than in Barcelona at $2,381. In Almaty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Almaty. 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.