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

😐 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 56.7% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 169.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 82.1% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 142.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.22 €14.83
$3.51 MYR 13.85
390.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.2 €58.7
$18.61 MYR 73.3
266.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.72 €11.82
$4.70 MYR 18.52
191.91%
Cappuccino
$2.84 €2.45
$2.61 MYR 10.30
8.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 €2.42
$0.64 MYR 2.53
339.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.76
$0.36 MYR 1.43
466.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.58 €3.95
$2.33 MYR 9.16
96.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €3.97
$3.56 MYR 14.01
29.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 €1.10
$1.68 MYR 6.61
-23.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.83
$1.24 MYR 4.90
70.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.00 €1.72
$1.67 MYR 6.56
19.76%
Eggs
$3.48 €3.00
$2.93 MYR 11.54
18.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.68 €16.08
$26.42 MYR 104
-29.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.42 €8.11
$3.45 MYR 13.59
173.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.68 €16.08
$7.14 MYR 28.15
161.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.24
$2.66 MYR 10.47
-1.88%
Banana (1kg)
$2.39 €2.06
$1.13 MYR 4.44
111.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.09 €1.80
$3.20 MYR 12.60
-34.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.73 €2.35
$1.98 MYR 7.82
37.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 €1.69
$1.47 MYR 5.78
33.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 €1.61
$1.75 MYR 6.89
6.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 €1.27
$1.12 MYR 4.41
32.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 €0.79
$0.48 MYR 1.88
91.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €5.92
$4.15 MYR 16.36
65.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.12 €6.13
$27.15 MYR 107
-73.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 €1.19
$1.91 MYR 7.51
-27.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 €2.08
$1.63 MYR 6.40
47.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.97 €2.56
$1.54 MYR 6.08
92.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.77 €24.77
$40.82 MYR 161
-29.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.57 €3.93
$1.86 MYR 7.32
145.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.10 €1.81
$0.46 MYR 1.82
356.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.85 €24.84
$5.79 MYR 22.83
398.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.90 €1.63
$0.49 MYR 1.95
287.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.7K €33.3K
$29.8K MYR 117.4K
29.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.3K €27.8K
$27.9K MYR 109.9K
15.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €158
$51.8 MYR 204
253.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.62 €19.48
$9.14 MYR 35.99
147.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.50 €31.43
$33.16 MYR 131
10.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.7 €50.6
$42.77 MYR 169
37.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.82 €17.93
$2.96 MYR 11.66
603.38%
Cinema Ticket
$11.10 €9.56
$4.57 MYR 18.00
142.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$726 €625
$132 MYR 519
451.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.3K €13.1K
$4,466 MYR 17.6K
241.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.2 €74.3
$59.8 MYR 236
44.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.48 €32.27
$22.69 MYR 89.4
65.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €91.0
$70.6 MYR 278
49.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €102
$92.5 MYR 364
27.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,568 €1,350
$382 MYR 1,506
310.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,236 €1,064
$166 MYR 652
646.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,752 €2,370
$656 MYR 2,585
319.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,981 €1,705
$367 MYR 1,446
439.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,921 €5,959
$1,910 MYR 7,524
262.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,760 €4,099
$1,123 MYR 4,426
323.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,498 €2,150
$609 MYR 2,401
309.80%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities