Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kota Kinabalu Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kota Kinabalu

😐 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 69.2% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 173.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 51.2% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 142.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.41 €15.03
$3.47 MYR 14.62
401.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.7 €59.3
$19.14 MYR 80.7
259.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.71 €11.84
$4.79 MYR 20.2
186.22%
Cappuccino
$2.78 €2.4
$2.64 MYR 11.14
5.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.8 €2.42
$0.64 MYR 2.72
337.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.71
$0.37 MYR 1.56
435.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 €3.83
$2.3 MYR 9.71
92.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €3.91
$3.45 MYR 14.55
31.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 €1.07
$1.73 MYR 7.29
-28.32%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 €1.75
$1.18 MYR 5
72.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 €1.71
$1.73 MYR 7.28
14.45%
Eggs
$3.46 €2.99
$2.89 MYR 12.18
19.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.32 €15.82
$26.25 MYR 111
-30.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.82 €8.47
$3.51 MYR 14.82
179.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.24 €16.61
$7.11 MYR 29.99
170.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.25
$2.55 MYR 10.75
2.35%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 €2.02
$1.14 MYR 4.79
105.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 €1.82
$3.3 MYR 13.91
-36.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 €2.39
$2.01 MYR 8.5
37.81%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 €1.76
$1.47 MYR 6.18
38.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$1.77 MYR 7.45
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.5 €1.3
$1.11 MYR 4.7
35.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.73
$0.47 MYR 1.98
80.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7 €6.04
$4.04 MYR 17.04
73.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.13 €6.16
$18.72 MYR 79
-61.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.24
$1.84 MYR 7.77
-22.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €1.98
$1.61 MYR 6.78
42.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 €2.6
$1.49 MYR 6.27
102.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.97 €25.01
$40.22 MYR 170
-27.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.59 €3.96
$1.92 MYR 8.09
139.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 €1.74
$0.43 MYR 1.82
369.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.56 €25.53
$5.79 MYR 24.43
410.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 €1.56
$0.46 MYR 1.93
293.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K €33.1K
$29.6K MYR 124.7K
29.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K €28K
$27.7K MYR 116.9K
16.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 €164
$51.2 MYR 216
270.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.18 €19.15
$8.97 MYR 37.84
147.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.37 €31.4
$33.43 MYR 141
8.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 €49.55
$43.94 MYR 185
30.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.95 €18.09
$2.98 MYR 12.57
603.02%
Cinema Ticket
$10.8 €9.33
$4.58 MYR 19.33
135.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$732 €632
$129 MYR 544
467.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.1K €13.1K
$4,457 MYR 18.8K
239.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.8 €74.9
$60.6 MYR 255
43.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.78 €31.76
$22.48 MYR 94.8
63.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €88.2
$71.1 MYR 300
43.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €101
$94 MYR 396
24.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,581 €1,365
$379 MYR 1,598
317.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 €1,062
$168 MYR 709
631.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,707 €2,337
$648 MYR 2,735
317.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 €1,751
$366 MYR 1,544
453.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,602 €5,700
$1,364 MYR 5,754
383.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,045 €4,356
$1,139 MYR 4,804
342.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,198 €1,898
$551 MYR 2,325
298.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.39
3.8
-10.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 27, 2025

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