Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Baku

For one person, living is cheaper in Baku: $996 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Baku
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Baku Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Baku

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Baku

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $996 in Baku.

Barcelona $2,381
Baku $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,551 in Baku.

Barcelona $3,406
Baku $1,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,107 in Baku.

Barcelona $4,431
Baku $2,107

Living in Barcelona is roughly 139% more expensive than in Baku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Baku is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$8.84 ₼15.02

102.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$39.43 ₼67.0

67.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$8.26 ₼14.04

65.74%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.50 ₼5.95

-12.57%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.12 ₼1.91

174.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.57 ₼0.97

240.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.72 ₼2.93

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.98 ₼5.06

54.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.49 ₼2.54

-12.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.49 ₼0.84

328.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.48 ₼4.21

-26.21%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.99 ₼3.38

132.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$5.16 ₼8.77

236.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$5.17 ₼8.79

79.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$11.85 ₼20.15

67.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.34 ₼2.28

124.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.90 ₼3.22

6.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.58 ₼2.68

67.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.84 ₼3.13

55.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.74 ₼1.25

191.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.61 ₼1.03

252.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.73 ₼1.24

101.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.78 ₼1.32

12.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$2.97 ₼5.05

133.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.59 ₼14.59

-8.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.53 ₼2.60

-9.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.82 ₼4.79

-6.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.36 ₼0.62

708.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$20.86 ₼35.44

22.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.12 ₼3.60

41.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.58 ₼0.99

148.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$3.64 ₼6.18

812.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.64 ₼1.09

190.63%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$23.3K ₼39.6K

38.85%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$22.1K ₼37.5K

43.63%

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

$183 €163

$67.7 ₼115

170.12%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$11.11 ₼18.88

22.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$15.09 ₼25.65

118.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$47.83 ₼81.3

14.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$16.66 ₼28.32

-0.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.74 ₼9.76

95.64%

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

$954 €849

$334 ₼568

185.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$6,829 ₼11.6K

143.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$65.7 ₼112

31.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$55.2 ₼93.7

-29.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$124 ₼211

-16.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$115 ₼195

3.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$547 ₼930

209.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$301 ₼511

324.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$974 ₼1,655

164.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$488 ₼830

293.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,177 ₼3,699

234.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,315 ₼2,235

280.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$548 ₼932

306.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

9.46

-65.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Baku: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Baku

$301 30.2% 76.4% $976

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Baku

$194 19.5% 40.2% $131

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Baku

$159 16% 41.1% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Baku

$94 9.4% 59.1% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Baku

$162 16.2% 3.4% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Baku

$59 6% 23.1% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Baku

$27 2.7% 42.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $547 in Baku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 306% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $39.00 in Baku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $194 per month, with Baku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇿 Baku

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,300,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.523 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.523 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Baku 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Baku

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 Baku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Baku differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $996 including rent). Baku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 306% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $547 in Baku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $334 in Baku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Baku versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baku but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Baku 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, Barcelona and Baku are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.