Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Khon Kaen

For one person, living is cheaper in Khon Kaen: $608 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Khon Kaen

🇹🇭 Thailand

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Khon Kaen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $608 in Khon Kaen.

Barcelona $2,453
Khon Kaen $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,024 in Khon Kaen.

Barcelona $3,509
Khon Kaen $1,024

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,440 in Khon Kaen.

Barcelona $4,564
Khon Kaen $1,440

Living in Barcelona is roughly 303% more expensive than in Khon Kaen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Khon Kaen is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$3.04 ฿102

478.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$29.92 ฿1,009

125.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$5.93 ฿200

128.16%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$1.46 ฿49.33

118.49%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$0.59 ฿19.80

393.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.29 ฿9.81

551.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$1.72 ฿58.0

133.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$6.73 ฿227

-32.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.86 ฿29.13

115.12%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$2.47 ฿83.4

95.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.87 ฿29.31

132.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.50 ฿50.6

80.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.50 ฿50.6

38.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.62 ฿20.83

135.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.52 ฿17.69

80.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.65 ฿55.5

-14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.20 ฿40.54

24.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.32 ฿44.64

36.36%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$44.6K ฿1.5M

-25.54%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$26.5K ฿895.2K

19.44%

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

$180 €161

$94.7 ฿3,193

90.59%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$17.99 ฿607

-23.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$29.73 ฿1,003

13.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$59.5 ฿2,007

-13.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$5.85 ฿197

87.86%

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

$917 €818

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$8,970 ฿302.6K

83.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$30.04 ฿1,013

189.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$34.83 ฿1,175

10.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$73.8 ฿2,488

43.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$90.5 ฿3,053

32.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$280 ฿9,439

507.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$156 ฿5,261

768.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$730 ฿24.6K

256.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$480 ฿16.2K

329.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

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 25, 2026

Last update for Khon Kaen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Khon Kaen

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Khon Kaen

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Khon Kaen

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Khon Kaen

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Khon Kaen

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Khon Kaen

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Khon Kaen

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $280 in Khon Kaen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $30 in Khon Kaen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $45 per month, with Khon Kaen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇹🇭 Khon Kaen

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

21:01 9:01 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

114,459

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Khon Kaen 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Khon Kaen

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 Khon Kaen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $608 in Khon Kaen, so Khon Kaen is about 75% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $913 in Khon Kaen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $280 in Khon Kaen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Khon Kaen – a meal for two runs $30 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $608 in Khon Kaen – Khon Kaen is about 75% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $608 in Khon Kaen versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Khon Kaen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Khon Kaen 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 Khon Kaen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.