Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Astana

For one person, living is cheaper in Astana: $1,133 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Astana
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Astana Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Astana

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

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $1,133 in Astana, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Astana $1,133

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $1,810 in Astana, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Astana $1,810

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $2,486 in Astana, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Astana $2,486

Barcelona costs about 116% more than Astana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 80% above the global median, while Astana is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$11.06 ₸5,039

59.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$38.01 ₸17.3K

77.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$7.89 ₸3,596

71.48%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.65 ₸1,205

20.38%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.08 ₸490

169.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.62 ₸282

204.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.34 ₸611

199.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.25 ₸1,024

101.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.26 ₸573

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.60 ₸275

236.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.55 ₸708

19.35%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.18 ₸992

121.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$11.98 ₸5,459

39.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$5.79 ₸2,638

57.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$10.57 ₸4,815

85.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.82 ₸830

63.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.31 ₸1,052

-12.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.29 ₸1,043

17.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.19 ₸996

27.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.66 ₸299

216.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.46 ₸210

350.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.53 ₸695

-4.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.90 ₸412

4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$2.37 ₸1,079

189.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$10.93 ₸4,978

-27.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.30 ₸590

8.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.35 ₸1,071

8.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.25 ₸114

1156.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$16.60 ₸7,560

53.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.27 ₸1,032

31.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.13 ₸515

31.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$6.62 ₸3,016

404.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.69 ₸312

160.87%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.0K ₸12.8M

18.39%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$31.7K ₸14.4M

0.15%

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

$180 €162

$68.4 ₸31.2K

163.76%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$10.08 ₸4,592

37.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$18.13 ₸8,258

85.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$58.7 ₸26.7K

-12.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$20.67 ₸9,414

-22.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$6.27 ₸2,856

75.28%

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

$917 €821

$487 ₸221.9K

88.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.7K ₸5.3M

40.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$64.6 ₸29.4K

34.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$46.35 ₸21.1K

-16.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$120 ₸54.5K

-11.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$126 ₸57.5K

-5.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$564 ₸256.9K

201.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$391 ₸178.3K

246.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,151 ₸524.1K

126.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$769 ₸350.1K

168.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,560 ₸710.5K

343.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,120 ₸510.2K

357.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$867 ₸394.7K

155.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

14.83

-77.88%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Astana: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Astana

$391 34.5% 71.1% $964

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Astana

$226 20% 29.7% $96

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Astana

$162 14.3% 39.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Astana

$97 8.5% 57.6% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Astana

$161 14.2% 1.6% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Astana

$71 6.3% 3.1% $2.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Astana

$26 2.3% 47.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $564 in Astana. 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 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $38 in Astana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $226 – making Astana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇿 Astana

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

4 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

814,400 Capital

💱 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 456 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Astana 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Astana

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 Astana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona, $1,133 in Astana – Astana comes out roughly 54% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $1,700 in Astana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Astana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $564 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

Kindergarten costs $917 per month in Barcelona and $487 in Astana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Barcelona, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Astana, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in Barcelona at $2,453. In Astana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,133 in Astana to $2,453 in Barcelona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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