Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bintulu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $852 in Bintulu.

Barcelona $2,443
Bintulu $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,331 in Bintulu.

Barcelona $3,519
Bintulu $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,810 in Bintulu.

Barcelona $4,595
Bintulu $1,810

Living in Barcelona is roughly 187% more expensive than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Bintulu is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$4.02 MYR 16.39

339.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$18.75 MYR 76.4

259.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$5.74 MYR 23.38

137.11%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$2.89 MYR 11.80

7.27%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$0.68 MYR 2.78

341.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.38 MYR 1.53

407.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$2.99 MYR 12.17

28.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$5.19 MYR 21.16

-15.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.10 MYR 8.57

-40.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.43 MYR 5.82

48.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.32 MYR 5.39

49.24%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$2.21 MYR 8.99

115.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$17.39 MYR 70.9

-1.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$3.59 MYR 14.63

149.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$5.95 MYR 24.24

247.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$1.76 MYR 7.17

79.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.00 MYR 4.06

97.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.71 MYR 6.96

54.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.12 MYR 4.58

157.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.55 MYR 2.24

274.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.19 MYR 4.87

83.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.75 MYR 3.06

104.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.45 MYR 1.82

115.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$4.11 MYR 16.75

69.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$19.47 MYR 79.4

-59.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$3.02 MYR 12.32

-52.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.00 MYR 8.15

34.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$1.26 MYR 5.14

162.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$16.05 MYR 65.4

59.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$0.95 MYR 3.89

224.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.82 MYR 3.33

80.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$2.51 MYR 10.21

1209.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.66 MYR 2.71

183.33%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$44.8K MYR 182.5K

-26.41%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$39.9K MYR 162.4K

-19.84%

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

$183 €163

$59.5 MYR 242

207.36%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$31.54 MYR 129

-54.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$30.82 MYR 126

12.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$68.5 MYR 279

-24.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

$12.11 MYR 49.34

35.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$4.51 MYR 18.38

145.23%

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

$944 €842

$125 MYR 509

655.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$7,487 MYR 30.5K

197.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$65.4 MYR 267

33.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$35.43 MYR 144

9.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$78.3 MYR 319

33.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$92.1 MYR 375

27.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$224 MYR 912

657.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$156 MYR 636

756.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$474 MYR 1,933

467.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$335 MYR 1,366

519.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$1,775 MYR 7,235

302.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$1,172 MYR 4,776

333.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

$613 MYR 2,498

265.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.5

-29.11%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Bintulu

$156 18.3% 88.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Bintulu

$235 27.6% 28.3% $93

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Bintulu

$114 13.3% 57.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 47.4% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 22.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bintulu

$78 9.1% 5.4% $4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Bintulu

$26 3.1% 47% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $224 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $19 in Bintulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $235 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

15:35 3:35 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

240,172

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bintulu 11,490 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $852 in Bintulu, so Bintulu is about 65% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 3.7 times higher, 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $224 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $125 in Bintulu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Bintulu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.