Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Dili

For one person, living is cheaper in Dili: $1,574 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Dili

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,574 in Dili.

Barcelona $2,405
Dili $1,574

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $2,466 in Dili.

Barcelona $3,477
Dili $2,466

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $3,359 in Dili.

Barcelona $4,550
Dili $3,359

Living in Barcelona is roughly 53% more expensive than in Dili, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Dili 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.03

$5.13 $5.13

250.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.1

$42.43 $42.43

58.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.92

$7.91 $7.91

69.03%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$4.18 $4.18

-20.10%

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

$2.95 €2.63

$1.63 $1.63

80.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.76 $2.76

-31.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$2.57 $2.57

50.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$4.46 $4.46

2.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.37 $2.37

-46.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.52 $2.52

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$0.96 $0.96

82.29%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$2.68 $2.68

82.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.58

$2.05 $2.05

752.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.08

$9.41 $9.41

-3.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €17.99

$15.78 $15.78

27.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.29 $3.29

-6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.85 $1.85

9.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.49 $2.49

4.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.26 $2.26

19.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.24 $1.24

73.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.15 $1.15

92.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.85 $0.85

81.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.98 $0.98

-5.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$3.08 $3.08

130.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.80

$11.95 $11.95

-36.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.19 $2.19

-31.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.89 $2.89

-5.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.24 $0.24

1129.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.11

$29.78 $29.78

-13.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.79

$3.52 $3.52

-11.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.58 $3.58

-59.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.46

$19.75 $19.75

73.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.44 $1.44

24.31%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$18.0K $18.0K

92.89%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$16.7K $16.7K

81.16%

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

$181 €161

$152 $152

19.06%

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

$13.56 €12.09

$27.49 $27.49

-50.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.31

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.40

$49.46 $49.46

7.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.31

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.13

$6.17 $6.17

84.28%

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

$939 €837

$1,477 $1,477

-36.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$16.1K $16.1K

2.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$61.0 $61.0

44.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.46

$30.46 $30.46

30.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$79.3 $79.3

30.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$60.3 $60.3

98.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,512

$831 $831

103.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,160

$759 $759

71.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,297

$2,739 $2,739

-5.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,731

$1,504 $1,504

29.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,660

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,631

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,050

$3,656 $3,656

-37.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.37

-38.92%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dili: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Dili

$759 47.9% 41.6% $541

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Dili

$275 17.3% 15.5% $50

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Dili

$154 9.7% 43.3% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Dili

$179 * 11.3% 21.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Dili

$104 6.6% 34.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Dili

$62 3.9% 18.6% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Dili

$52 3.3% 8.4% $4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $831 in Dili. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dili pays 59% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $42.00 in Dili for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $275 per month, with Dili cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇹🇱 Dili

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

18:41 6:41 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

222,323 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Dili 13,390 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Dili

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 Dili: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Dili differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,574 including rent). Dili is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Dili. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $831 in Dili. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $1,477 in Dili. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,574 in Dili versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dili but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Dili 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 Dili 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 Dili gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.