Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Davao

For one person, living is cheaper in Davao: $839 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Davao, Philippines
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Davao
🇵🇭 Philippines
$839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Davao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $839 in Davao.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Davao $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,275 in Davao.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Davao $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,712 in Davao.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Davao $1,712

Living in Barcelona is roughly 192% more expensive than in Davao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Davao is 38% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Davao
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.69
$4.71 ₱299
273.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.2
$26.33 ₱1,672
156.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.07
$3.83 ₱243
253.26%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.85
$2.53 ₱161
26.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.60
$1.06 ₱67.3
174.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.69
$0.62 ₱39.64
204.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.58
$1.53 ₱97.0
162.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.04
$2.38 ₱151
90.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Davao
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.16
$1.96 ₱125
-33.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.07 ₱68.0
88.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.65
$0.91 ₱57.9
103.30%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.31
$1.84 ₱117
162.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €14.93
$6.41 ₱407
161.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.14
$4.59 ₱292
98.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.52
$8.97 ₱570
118.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.66
$2.68 ₱170
11.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.06 ₱67.3
90.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.41
$2.43 ₱154
11.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.50
$1.14 ₱72.3
145.61%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.99 ₱126
5.03%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$3.35 ₱213
-38.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.30
$1.24 ₱78.6
17.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.71 ₱45.03
32.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.13
$2.46 ₱156
179.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.04
$7.99 ₱507
-1.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.25
$1.27 ₱80.5
11.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.26
$1.58 ₱100
60.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Davao
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.80
$0.21 ₱13.33
1395.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.70
$13.16 ₱836
93.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.67
$0.81 ₱51.4
269.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.33
$0.24 ₱15.32
520.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.78
$1.83 ₱116
1723.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.60
$1.22 ₱77.2
47.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.6K
$21.3K ₱1.4M
55.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.3K
$19.0K ₱1.2M
66.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Davao
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €161
$105 ₱6,661
71.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.35
$19.14 ₱1,215
-27.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.06
$30.17 ₱1,916
11.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Davao
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €45.96
$34.37 ₱2,183
49.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.24
$3.44 ₱218
363.95%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.81
$4.75 ₱302
131.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Davao
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €818
$104 ₱6,623
778.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.7K
$7,536 ₱478.6K
118.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Davao
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €77.7
$61.0 ₱3,877
42.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.35
$30.74 ₱1,952
25.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.4
$69.7 ₱4,425
51.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$60.1 ₱3,816
99.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Davao
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,516
$350 ₱22.2K
385.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,209
$229 ₱14.6K
491.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,322
$723 ₱45.9K
260.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,840
$404 ₱25.6K
410.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,169
$1,584 ₱100.6K
336.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,575
$1,364 ₱86.6K
276.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Davao
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,972
$207 ₱13.1K
967.71%
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 Davao: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Davao
$229 83.1% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Davao
$197 38.7% $125
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Davao
$99 63.2% $169
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Davao
$154 32.4% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Davao
$100 36.9% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Davao
$44 40.3% $30
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Davao
$16 66.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $350 in Davao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $26 in Davao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $197 per month, with Davao cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇵🇭 Davao
🕒 Local time
18:32 6:32 PM
01:32 1:32 AM
7 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
1,632,991
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.51 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 70.87 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Davao 12,140 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Davao

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 Davao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Davao?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $839 in Davao, so Davao is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Barcelona or Davao?
Average pay in Barcelona is about 11 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Davao?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $350 in Davao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Davao?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $104 in Davao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $839 in Davao versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Davao but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Davao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Davao?
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.
Is Barcelona or Davao safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Davao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Davao?
Expats usually find Davao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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