Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kostanay

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostanay: $962 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
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Kostanay Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$962

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kostanay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $962 in Kostanay.

Barcelona $2,381
Kostanay $962

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,452 in Kostanay.

Barcelona $3,406
Kostanay $1,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,943 in Kostanay.

Barcelona $4,431
Kostanay $1,943

Living in Barcelona is roughly 148% more expensive than in Kostanay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Kostanay is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$5.60 ₸2,532

219.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$28.73 ₸13.0K

130.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.05 ₸3,186

94.18%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.18 ₸988

40.37%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.12 ₸506

174.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.86 ₸389

125.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.45 ₸656

166.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.61 ₸1,181

76.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.22 ₸550

6.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.52 ₸235

303.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.05 ₸474

74.29%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.27 ₸1,026

103.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.21 ₸4,614

70.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$5.72 ₸2,585

62.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$8.33 ₸3,767

138.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.61 ₸730

86.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.37 ₸1,071

-14.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.84 ₸831

44.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.32 ₸1,047

23.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.58 ₸264

272.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.68 ₸308

216.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.21 ₸548

21.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.88 ₸399

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$2.51 ₸1,135

176.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.47 ₸3,827

-7.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.10 ₸495

26.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.37 ₸1,071

10.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.31 ₸142

838.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.95 ₸430

215.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.14 ₸516

26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$6.09 ₸2,755

445.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.58 ₸263

220.69%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

6.78%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$30.5K ₸13.8M

3.87%

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

$183 €163

$76.8 ₸34.7K

137.91%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$10.97 ₸4,961

24.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$15.99 ₸7,229

105.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$48.26 ₸21.8K

13.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$20.11 ₸9,091

-17.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$4.40 ₸1,989

155.23%

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

$954 €849

$209 ₸94.5K

356.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$6,498 ₸2.9M

155.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$96.3 ₸43.5K

-10.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$53.8 ₸24.3K

-27.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$107 ₸48.6K

-3.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$93.7 ₸42.3K

26.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$402 ₸181.7K

321.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$321 ₸144.9K

298.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$598 ₸270.1K

331.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$494 ₸223.4K

288.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,218 ₸550.5K

497.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$925 ₸418.0K

441.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$657 ₸297.0K

238.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

18.5

-82.27%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kostanay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Kostanay

$321 33.4% 74.9% $956

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Kostanay

$202 21% 37.9% $123

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Kostanay

$113 11.7% 58.2% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Kostanay

$104 10.8% 54.7% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Kostanay

$158 16.4% 1.1% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Kostanay

$57 5.9% 26% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Kostanay

$7.9 * 0.8% 83.3% $39

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 $1,695 in Barcelona and $402 in Kostanay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 239% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $29.00 in Kostanay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $202 per month, with Kostanay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

20:18 8:18 PM

4 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

264,446

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Kostanay 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Kostanay

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 Kostanay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Kostanay differ by about 148% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $962 including rent). Kostanay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 239% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $402 in Kostanay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $209 in Kostanay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kostanay – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $962 in Kostanay versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kostanay but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kostanay 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 Kostanay 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 Kostanay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 148% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.