Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kostroma

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostroma: $1,312 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kostroma
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Kostroma Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Kostroma

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kostroma

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,312 in Kostroma.

Barcelona $2,381
Kostroma $1,312

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,085 in Kostroma.

Barcelona $3,406
Kostroma $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,859 in Kostroma.

Barcelona $4,431
Kostroma $2,859

Living in Barcelona is roughly 81% more expensive than in Kostroma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Kostroma is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$12.01 ₽1,002

48.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$61.1 ₽5,102

8.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.20 ₽601

90.14%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.91 ₽326

-21.74%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.62 ₽136

89.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.85 ₽71.1

128.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.80 ₽150

115.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.29 ₽441

-12.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.24 ₽103

4.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.01 ₽84.3

107.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.68 ₽140

8.93%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.88 ₽157

145.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$14.95 ₽1,248

16.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$6.93 ₽578

33.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.95 ₽1,248

32.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.17 ₽181

38.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.82 ₽152

11.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.98 ₽165

33.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.96 ₽330

-27.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.89 ₽74.0

142.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.70 ₽58.7

207.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.65 ₽137

-10.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.93 ₽78.0

-5.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.49 ₽291

98.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$12.31 ₽1,027

-36.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.22 ₽102

13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.54 ₽212

3.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.54 ₽45.15

438.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.62 ₽302

-17.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.34 ₽28.73

323.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$11.94 ₽996

178.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.88 ₽73.3

111.36%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$42.4K ₽3.5M

-23.65%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$40.1K ₽3.3M

-20.97%

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

$183 €163

$191 ₽16.0K

-4.49%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$8.70 ₽726

56.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$9.88 ₽825

233.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$40.32 ₽3,365

35.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$25.01 ₽2,087

-33.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.47 ₽791

18.59%

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

$954 €849

$344 ₽28.7K

177.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$6,317 ₽527.2K

162.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$114 ₽9,511

-24.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$67.6 ₽5,645

-42.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$148 ₽12.3K

-29.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$189 ₽15.8K

-37.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$500 ₽41.8K

238.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$340 ₽28.3K

275.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$837 ₽69.9K

207.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$643 ₽53.6K

199.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,226 ₽185.8K

227.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,489 ₽124.3K

236.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$762 ₽63.6K

192.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

19.56

-83.23%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kostroma: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Kostroma

$340 25.9% 73.4% $937

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Kostroma

$268 20.4% 17.5% $57

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Kostroma

$194 14.8% 28% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Kostroma

$210 16% 8.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Kostroma

$233 17.8% 49.3% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Kostroma

$59 4.5% 23.2% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Kostroma

$7.5 * 0.6% 84.1% $40

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 $500 in Kostroma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 192% 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 $61.0 in Kostroma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $268 per month, with Kostroma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇺 Kostroma

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

277,393

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Kostroma 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Kostroma

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 Kostroma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Kostroma differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,312 including rent). Kostroma is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 192% 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 $500 in Kostroma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $344 in Kostroma. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kostroma – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,312 in Kostroma versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kostroma but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kostroma 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 Kostroma 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 Kostroma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.