Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $599 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
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Islamabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Islamabad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $599 in Islamabad.

Barcelona $2,399
Islamabad $599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $930 in Islamabad.

Barcelona $3,410
Islamabad $930

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,261 in Islamabad.

Barcelona $4,421
Islamabad $1,261

Living in Barcelona is roughly 300% more expensive than in Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Islamabad is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$3.63 PKR 1,004

394.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$23.40 PKR 6,478

190.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$5.54 PKR 1,534

139.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 PKR 987

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 PKR 1,864

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.64 PKR 730

23.11%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.32 PKR 89.6

840.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.23 PKR 63.7

713.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.94 PKR 259

37.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$0.72 PKR 200

183.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.30 PKR 361

32.31%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.22 PKR 339

290.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$6.05 PKR 1,674

177.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$3.09 PKR 855

189.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$5.35 PKR 1,482

271.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.26 PKR 350

136.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$0.87 PKR 241

133.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.04 PKR 288

162.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$0.53 PKR 146

405.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.29 PKR 81.2

624.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.36 PKR 99.4

477.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.28 PKR 76.4

417.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.39 PKR 108

128.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.95 PKR 539

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 PKR 331

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 PKR 743

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$2.24 PKR 619

209.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.16 PKR 43.07

1768.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$21.34 PKR 5,905

18.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.24 PKR 344

151.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.74 PKR 204

94.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$1.60 PKR 442

1993.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.37 PKR 378

30.66%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$54.5K PKR 15.1M

-36.45%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

26.03%

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

$178 €158

$103 PKR 28.6K

72.24%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$5.99 PKR 1,658

122.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$17.15 PKR 4,746

103.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$28.20 PKR 7,806

88.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$8.47 PKR 2,344

89.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$4.43 PKR 1,226

149.66%

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

$957 €851

$75.7 PKR 20.9K

1164.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$5,004 PKR 1.4M

231.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$25.72 PKR 7,118

242.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$34.48 PKR 9,543

14.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$95.5 PKR 26.4K

7.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$41.32 PKR 11.4K

193.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$276 PKR 76.5K

497.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$139 PKR 38.3K

839.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$572 PKR 158.2K

347.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$270 PKR 74.9K

607.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,629 PKR 450.8K

347.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$836 PKR 231.5K

507.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$380 PKR 105.2K

499.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

13.08

-74.92%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Islamabad

$139 23.1% 89.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Islamabad

$102 17% 68.1% $218

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Islamabad

$80 13.3% 70.6% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Islamabad

$126 21.1% 44.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Islamabad

$89 14.8% 44% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Islamabad

$37 6.2% 50.8% $38

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 43.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $276 in Islamabad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 500% 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 $23.00 in Islamabad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $102 per month, with Islamabad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

05:32 5:32 AM

3 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Islamabad 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Islamabad differ by about 300% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $599 including rent). Islamabad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 500% 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 $276 in Islamabad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $75.7 in Islamabad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 214% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $599 in Islamabad versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Islamabad but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Islamabad 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 Islamabad 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 Islamabad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 300% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.