Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bulacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $628 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
Learn more

Bulacan Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bulacan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $628 in Bulacan.

Barcelona $2,443
Bulacan $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $904 in Bulacan.

Barcelona $3,519
Bulacan $904

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,180 in Bulacan.

Barcelona $4,595
Bulacan $1,180

Living in Barcelona is roughly 289% more expensive than in Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Bulacan is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$2.34 ₱148

654.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$14.45 ₱917

366.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$1.85 ₱117

635.68%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$1.70 ₱108

82.35%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$0.45 ₱28.51

566.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.15 ₱9.59

1186.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$1.13 ₱72.0

239.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$1.31 ₱83.1

232.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.40 ₱88.7

-10.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.09 ₱69.2

94.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.90 ₱57.2

118.89%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$1.53 ₱97.3

211.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$2.36 ₱150

623.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$3.16 ₱200

183.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$6.63 ₱421

211.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.18 ₱139

44.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.70 ₱108

15.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.22 ₱141

19.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.27 ₱80.8

126.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.55 ₱98.6

32.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.76 ₱111

23.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.61 ₱38.78

150.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.35 ₱22.25

177.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$3.82 ₱243

82.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$3.48 ₱221

126.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.01 ₱64.2

40.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.37 ₱86.9

96.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.20 ₱12.77

1555.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$6.73 ₱427

280.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$0.73 ₱46.40

321.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.18 ₱11.13

722.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$1.84 ₱117

1686.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.20 ₱76.5

55.83%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

57.77%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

63.78%

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

$183 €163

$115 ₱7,292

59.19%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$17.51 ₱1,112

-18.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$31.15 ₱1,977

10.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$47.30 ₱3,003

8.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$4.82 ₱306

129.46%

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

$944 €842

$78.2 ₱4,964

1106.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$932 ₱59.2K

2289.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$30.99 ₱1,967

182.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$32.20 ₱2,044

20.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$62.4 ₱3,963

67.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$62.6 ₱3,972

88.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$181 ₱11.5K

836.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$116 ₱7,340

1056.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$252 ₱16.0K

969.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$155 ₱9,855

1237.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

-54.43%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bulacan: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Bulacan

$116 18.4% 91.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Bulacan

$143 22.8% 56.3% $184

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Bulacan

$55 8.8% 79.3% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Bulacan

$164 26% 29.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Bulacan

$85 13.5% 46% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bulacan

$57 9.1% 22.6% $17

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Bulacan

$9.1 1.5% 81.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $181 in Bulacan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $14 in Bulacan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $143 per month, with Bulacan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

3,700,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.17 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bulacan 11,160 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bulacan

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 Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $628 in Bulacan, so Bulacan is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $943 in Bulacan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $181 in Bulacan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $78 in Bulacan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 129% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $628 in Bulacan versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Bulacan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bulacan 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.

Expats usually find Bulacan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.