Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hat Yai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $731 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Hat Yai
Learn more

Hat Yai Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hat Yai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $731 in Hat Yai.

Barcelona $2,399
Hat Yai $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,300 in Hat Yai.

Barcelona $3,410
Hat Yai $1,300

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,870 in Hat Yai.

Barcelona $4,421
Hat Yai $1,870

Living in Barcelona is roughly 228% more expensive than in Hat Yai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Hat Yai is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$2.90 ฿96.9

518.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$43.67 ฿1,460

55.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$3.66 ฿122

262.84%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.88 ฿96.3

12.85%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$1.33 ฿44.34

126.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.56 ฿18.60

233.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$1.80 ฿60.1

113.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$3.46 ฿116

29.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.45 ฿48.55

-11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.25 ฿41.68

63.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.24 ฿41.28

38.71%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$2.51 ฿83.9

90.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$22.15 ฿740

-24.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$2.24 ฿74.7

298.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$11.19 ฿374

77.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.54 ฿84.8

17.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.38 ฿46.10

47.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.89 ฿63.3

44.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.80 ฿60.3

48.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.46 ฿48.94

43.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.03 ฿34.38

101.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.07 ฿35.74

35.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.41 ฿13.57

117.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$4.36 ฿146

59.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$15.03 ฿502

-48.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.77 ฿59.2

-18.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.99 ฿66.4

29.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.57 ฿18.98

424.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.25 ฿41.71

149.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.13 ฿37.78

27.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$4.94 ฿165

578.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.29 ฿43.15

38.76%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$18.9K ฿630.6K

83.54%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-33.35%

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

$178 €158

$84.4 ฿2,819

110.82%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$11.75 ฿393

13.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$9.65 ฿322

261.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$48.45 ฿1,619

9.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$14.10 ฿471

13.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$7.19 ฿240

53.82%

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

$957 €851

$562 ฿18.8K

70.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$10.7K ฿357.3K

54.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$37.54 ฿1,255

134.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$26.26 ฿878

50.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$70.9 ฿2,369

45.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$97.3 ฿3,250

24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$270 ฿9,010

513.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$107 ฿3,576

1116.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$729 ฿24.4K

250.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$397 ฿13.3K

382.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,915 ฿64.0K

280.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,584 ฿52.9K

220.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$452 ฿15.1K

404.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.36

-48.43%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hat Yai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Hat Yai

$107 14.7% 91.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Hat Yai

$249 34.1% 22.1% $71

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Hat Yai

$92 12.6% 65.9% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Hat Yai

$106 14.5% 53.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Hat Yai

$104 14.3% 34.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Hat Yai

$63 8.6% 16.6% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3% 80.7% $38

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 $1,653 in Barcelona and $270 in Hat Yai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 405% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $44.00 in Hat Yai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $249 per month, with Hat Yai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

03:04 3:04 AM

5 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

156,802

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Hat Yai 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Hat Yai

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 Hat Yai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Hat Yai differ by about 228% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $731 including rent). Hat Yai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 405% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $270 in Hat Yai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $562 in Hat Yai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hat Yai – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $731 in Hat Yai versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hat Yai but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Hat Yai 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 Hat Yai 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 Hat Yai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 228% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.