Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ambato

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.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Ambato
Learn more

Ambato Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Ambato

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ambato

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

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

Barcelona $2,399
Ambato $605

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

Barcelona $3,410
Ambato $985

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

Barcelona $4,421
Ambato $1,364

Barcelona costs about 297% more than Ambato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$3.46 $3.46

418.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$29.93 $29.93

127.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$5.32 $5.32

149.62%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.76 $2.76

17.75%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.82 $0.82

267.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.75 $0.75

149.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$1.96 $1.96

96.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$3.22 $3.22

39.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.98 $0.98

31.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$0.98 $0.98

108.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.57 $1.57

9.55%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.73 $1.73

175.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$5.42 $5.42

209.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$3.05 $3.05

192.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$3.93 $3.93

405.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.27 $1.27

134.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$0.88 $0.88

130.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.03 $1.03

165.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.03 $1.03

160.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.77 $0.77

172.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.99 $0.99

110.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.73 $0.73

98.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.03 $1.03

-13.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$5.15 $5.15

34.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$8.78 $8.78

-11.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.45 $1.45

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.81 $2.81

-8.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.29 $0.29

931.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$14.21 $14.21

77.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.39 $1.39

124.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.12 $1.12

28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$9.43 $9.43

255.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.86 $0.86

108.14%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$23.3K $23.3K

48.43%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$28.1K $28.1K

6.83%

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

$178 €158

$39.20 $39.20

353.70%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$13.58 $13.58

-1.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$26.39 $26.39

32.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$29.76 $29.76

78.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$4.39 $4.39

151.94%

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

$957 €851

$224 $224

326.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$2,408 $2,408

588.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$48.25 $48.25

82.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$35.22 $35.22

12.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$71.2 $71.2

44.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$55.5 $55.5

118.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$178 $178

826.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$124 $124

947.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$380 $380

572.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$273 $273

601.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,130 $1,130

544.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$884 $884

474.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$679 $679

235.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-63.56%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ambato: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Ambato

$124 20.5% 90.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Ambato

$147 24.3% 54.1% $173

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Ambato

$99 16.4% 63.3% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Ambato

$79 13.1% 65% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Ambato

$95 15.6% 40.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Ambato

$39 6.4% 48.9% $37

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Ambato

$22 3.7% 52.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,653 in Barcelona versus $178 in Ambato. 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 $68.0 in Barcelona versus $30.00 in Ambato. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $147 – making Ambato the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇨 Ambato

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

00:28 12:28 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

165,185

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Ambato 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ambato

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 Ambato: 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 $3,599 per month in Barcelona and $908 in Ambato. 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 $68.0 in Barcelona and $30.00 in Ambato. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,399 in Barcelona and $605 in Ambato. 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.