Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Belait: $1,726 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kuala Belait

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,726 in Kuala Belait.

Barcelona $2,453
Kuala Belait $1,726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,561 in Kuala Belait.

Barcelona $3,509
Kuala Belait $2,561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,397 in Kuala Belait.

Barcelona $4,564
Kuala Belait $3,397

Living in Barcelona is roughly 42% more expensive than in Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Kuala Belait 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$7.77 BND 9.92

126.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$47.28 BND 60.4

42.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$7.74 BND 9.88

74.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 BND 2.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 BND 3.06

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.46 BND 5.70

-28.48%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.88 BND 1.13

230.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.50 BND 0.64

278.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.82 BND 2.32

-28.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.51 BND 3.21

-19.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.30 BND 2.94

-19.57%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.70 BND 3.45

78.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$19.08 BND 24.37

-12.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.44 BND 12.06

-3.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$24.33 BND 31.09

-19.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.83 BND 6.17

-38.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.17 BND 2.77

-6.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$5.01 BND 6.40

-46.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.49 BND 3.18

12.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.73 BND 2.21

20.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.91 BND 3.71

-28.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$5.51 BND 7.04

-73.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.86 BND 1.10

9.30%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.81 BND 15.08

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.91 BND 7.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$7.89 BND 10.07

-12.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.01 BND 5.12

-25.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.27 BND 4.18

-54.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$11.49 BND 14.67

190.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.35 BND 0.45

414.29%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$31.8K BND 40.7K

4.30%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.9K BND 34.3K

17.96%

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

$180 €162

$39.60 BND 50.6

355.58%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$21.64 BND 27.64

-36.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$65.2 BND 83.2

-48.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$99.3 BND 127

-48.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$27.87 BND 35.60

-42.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$5.49 BND 7.01

100.18%

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

$917 €821

$217 BND 278

321.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$9,343 BND 11.9K

76.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$76.2 BND 97.4

14.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$101 BND 129

-61.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$155 BND 198

-31.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$71.1 BND 90.8

68.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$730 BND 933

132.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$789 BND 1,008

71.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,167 BND 1,491

123.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,169 BND 1,493

76.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$3,379 BND 4,317

-34.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.88

-15.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Kuala Belait

$789 45.7% 41.8% $566

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Kuala Belait

$354 20.5% 9.9% $32

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Kuala Belait

$144 8.4% 46.1% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3% 44.6% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Kuala Belait

$181 10.5% 14.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4% 50.1% $37

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Kuala Belait

$20 * 1.2% 58% $28

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $730 in Kuala Belait. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuala Belait pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $47 in Kuala Belait. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $354, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

02:45 2:45 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

31,178

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Kuala Belait 11,470 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,726 in Kuala Belait, so Kuala Belait is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $730 in Kuala Belait. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $217 in Kuala Belait. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuala Belait – a meal for two runs $47 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Kuala Belait gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Kuala Belait are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.