Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cotabato City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $738 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
Learn more

Cotabato City Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Cotabato City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $738 in Cotabato City.

Barcelona $2,453
Cotabato City $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,139 in Cotabato City.

Barcelona $3,509
Cotabato City $1,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,539 in Cotabato City.

Barcelona $4,564
Cotabato City $1,539

Living in Barcelona is roughly 232% more expensive than in Cotabato City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Cotabato City is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$4.81 ₱307

265.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$16.14 ₱1,031

318.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$3.97 ₱254

240.81%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.17 ₱139

47.00%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$1.06 ₱67.6

174.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.62 ₱39.75

204.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$1.14 ₱73.1

251.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$2.08 ₱133

117.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.01 ₱128

-34.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.08 ₱68.8

87.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$0.75 ₱48.19

146.67%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$1.90 ₱121

154.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$6.44 ₱411

159.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$4.59 ₱293

98.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$9.44 ₱603

108.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.76 ₱176

7.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.10 ₱70.0

83.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.40 ₱153

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.17 ₱74.7

139.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.97 ₱126

6.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$3.30 ₱211

-37.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.24 ₱78.9

17.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.66 ₱42.15

42.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$2.40 ₱154

186.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$8.03 ₱513

-1.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.27 ₱80.9

11.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.64 ₱105

54.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.22 ₱13.98

1327.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$11.32 ₱723

124.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$0.76 ₱48.30

293.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.22 ₱13.97

577.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$1.85 ₱118

1703.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.10 ₱70.2

63.64%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

59.43%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

68.91%

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

$180 €162

$108 ₱6,875

67.67%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$18.43 ₱1,178

-24.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$30.97 ₱1,978

8.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$30.96 ₱1,978

66.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$5.25 ₱335

204.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$4.73 ₱302

132.35%

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

$917 €823

$105 ₱6,684

776.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,282 ₱465.3K

126.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$32.48 ₱2,075

167.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$19.49 ₱1,246

97.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$69.5 ₱4,438

52.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$60.5 ₱3,862

98.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$224 ₱14.3K

657.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$153 ₱9,753

787.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$447 ₱28.6K

481.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$333 ₱21.3K

518.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$2,692 ₱172.0K

156.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$1,003 ₱64.1K

411.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

8.31

-60.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cotabato City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Cotabato City

$153 20.7% 88.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Cotabato City

$199 26.9% 38.2% $123

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Cotabato City

$93 12.6% 65.3% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Cotabato City

$157 21.3% 31.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Cotabato City

$82 11.1% 48.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cotabato City

$40 5.5% 45% $33

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cotabato City

$14 1.9% 71% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $224 in Cotabato City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $16 in Cotabato City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $199 per month, with Cotabato City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

06:57 6:57 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

325,079

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 PHP = 1.57 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Cotabato City 12,030 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Cotabato City

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 Cotabato City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $738 in Cotabato City, so Cotabato City is about 70% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,107 in Cotabato City 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $224 in Cotabato City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $105 in Cotabato City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Cotabato City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.