Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kedah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kedah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $877 in Kedah.

Barcelona $2,453
Kedah $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,399 in Kedah.

Barcelona $3,509
Kedah $1,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,920 in Kedah.

Barcelona $4,564
Kedah $1,920

Living in Barcelona is roughly 180% more expensive than in Kedah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Kedah is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$3.72 MYR 15.19

372.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$12.32 MYR 50.4

447.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$4.56 MYR 18.65

196.71%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.91 MYR 11.90

9.62%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$0.77 MYR 3.15

277.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.39 MYR 1.60

384.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$4.24 MYR 17.31

-5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.36 MYR 17.80

3.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.88 MYR 7.68

-30.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.06 MYR 4.33

90.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.72 MYR 7.01

7.56%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.19 MYR 8.94

120.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$13.55 MYR 55.4

23.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$4.34 MYR 17.75

110.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$8.84 MYR 36.13

122.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.94 MYR 12.02

1.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.63 MYR 6.67

23.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.75 MYR 11.24

-1.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.45 MYR 5.94

93.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.10 MYR 4.50

90.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.09 MYR 4.45

89.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.13 MYR 4.63

29.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.57 MYR 2.34

64.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$4.62 MYR 18.89

48.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.09

$18.76 MYR 76.7

-57.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.98 MYR 12.19

-52.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$5.33 MYR 21.79

-52.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.76 MYR 3.11

313.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$12.85 MYR 52.5

98.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$1.66 MYR 6.78

80.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.38 MYR 1.54

292.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.99

$7.29 MYR 29.79

357.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$0.60 MYR 2.47

200.00%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$45.6K MYR 186.5K

-27.27%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$35.8K MYR 146.5K

-11.57%

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

$180 €162

$36.47 MYR 149

394.68%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$9.66 MYR 39.47

43.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.28

$29.48 MYR 120

14.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.28

$34.63 MYR 142

48.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$6.85 MYR 28.01

132.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$4.79 MYR 19.59

129.44%

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

$917 €824

$388 MYR 1,584

136.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

54.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$58.9 MYR 241

47.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.60

$34.76 MYR 142

10.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$81.6 MYR 334

29.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$70.7 MYR 289

69.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$358 MYR 1,462

374.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,218

$258 MYR 1,054

425.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,339

$712 MYR 2,911

265.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$607 MYR 2,479

239.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,213

$1,930 MYR 7,889

258.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,607

$1,258 MYR 5,140

307.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,339 MYR 5,473

65.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.04

-18.81%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Kedah

$258 29.4% 81% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Kedah

$257 29.3% 20.3% $65

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Kedah

$113 12.9% 57.9% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Kedah

$76 8.6% 66.8% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Kedah

$111 12.6% 30% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Kedah

$44 5% 39.8% $29

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Kedah

$19 2.2% 59.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $358 in Kedah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 65% 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 in Barcelona vs $12 in Kedah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $257 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇾 Kedah

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

417,800

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Kedah 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Kedah

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 Kedah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Kedah differ by about 180% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $877 including rent). Kedah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $358 in Kedah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $388 in Kedah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $877 in Kedah versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kedah but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kedah 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 Kedah 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 Kedah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.