Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Erdenet

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $377 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Erdenet
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Erdenet Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Erdenet

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$377

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Erdenet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $377 in Erdenet.

Barcelona $2,405
Erdenet $377

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $617 in Erdenet.

Barcelona $3,477
Erdenet $617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $858 in Erdenet.

Barcelona $4,550
Erdenet $858

Living in Barcelona is roughly 538% more expensive than in Erdenet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 79% above, Erdenet is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

340.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$27.28 MNT 98.0K

147.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

227.70%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$2.29 MNT 8,214

45.85%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$0.66 MNT 2,373

346.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.40 MNT 1,454

375.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$1.70 MNT 6,100

128.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$1.63 MNT 5,840

180.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.01 MNT 3,627

25.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.91 MNT 3,281

115.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.85 MNT 10.3K

-38.60%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$2.02 MNT 7,270

142.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$7.05 MNT 25.3K

147.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$6.78 MNT 24.4K

33.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$4.54 MNT 16.3K

344.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.24 MNT 8,038

37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.68 MNT 6,054

20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.63 MNT 5,857

59.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.37 MNT 4,925

97.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.43 MNT 5,136

50.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.85 MNT 3,040

160.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.41 MNT 5,071

9.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.98 MNT 3,539

-5.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$2.83 MNT 10.2K

150.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$5.67 MNT 20.4K

34.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.62 MNT 5,830

-8.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.65 MNT 5,938

65.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.15 MNT 549

1866.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$19.59 MNT 70.4K

32.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$0.61 MNT 2,209

413.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.43 MNT 1,546

237.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.75 MNT 2,689

138.67%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

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

$30.3K €27.0K

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

$181 €161

$57.7 MNT 207.4K

212.97%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$2.86 MNT 10.3K

374.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$14.06 MNT 50.5K

149.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

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

$939 €838

$281 MNT 1.0M

234.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$2,474 MNT 8.9M

567.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$218 MNT 782.9K

955.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Erdenet: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Erdenet

$188 50.3% 42.1% $137

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Erdenet

$88 23.6% 67.5% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Erdenet

$75 20% 67.5% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Erdenet

$23 6.1% 52.2% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Barcelona pays 955% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $27.00 in Erdenet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $188 per month, with Erdenet cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇳 Erdenet

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

17:41 5:41 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

86,866

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,026 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Erdenet 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Erdenet

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 Erdenet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Erdenet differ by about 538% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $377 including rent). Erdenet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 955% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $281 in Erdenet. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $377 in Erdenet versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Erdenet but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Erdenet 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 Erdenet 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 Erdenet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 538% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.