Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kuala Terengganu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $918 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Terengganu
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Kuala Terengganu Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $918 in Kuala Terengganu.

Barcelona $2,443
Kuala Terengganu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,412 in Kuala Terengganu.

Barcelona $3,519
Kuala Terengganu $1,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,907 in Kuala Terengganu.

Barcelona $4,595
Kuala Terengganu $1,907

Living in Barcelona is roughly 166% more expensive than in Kuala Terengganu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Kuala Terengganu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.72

$2.51 MYR 10.14

603.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$23.19 MYR 93.8

190.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$4.79 MYR 19.35

184.13%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$2.72 MYR 11.01

13.97%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.49 MYR 1.99

512.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.28 MYR 1.14

589.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$3.98 MYR 16.09

-3.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$4.59 MYR 18.56

-5.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.71 MYR 6.92

-26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.08 MYR 4.38

96.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.47 MYR 5.95

34.01%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$2.15 MYR 8.68

121.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$13.52 MYR 54.7

26.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$4.49 MYR 18.16

99.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$9.94 MYR 40.21

107.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.29 MYR 13.29

-3.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.66 MYR 6.71

18.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.42 MYR 9.80

9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.51 MYR 6.12

90.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.27 MYR 5.13

62.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.38 MYR 5.56

57.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.12 MYR 4.51

36.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.55 MYR 2.23

76.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$4.43 MYR 17.91

57.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$18.83 MYR 76.2

-58.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$3.00 MYR 12.11

-52.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.44 MYR 17.94

-39.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.72 MYR 2.90

359.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.80

$12.03 MYR 48.65

112.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.19 MYR 4.80

158.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.56 MYR 2.28

164.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.27

$7.41 MYR 29.98

343.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.79 MYR 3.18

136.71%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$44.8K MYR 181.0K

-26.35%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$35.3K MYR 142.6K

-9.39%

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

$183 €163

$49.59 MYR 201

268.72%

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

$14.24 €12.68

$9.83 MYR 39.75

44.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.78

$28.33 MYR 115

21.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.79

$37.05 MYR 150

38.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.59

$6.47 MYR 26.16

153.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$4.78 MYR 19.33

131.38%

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

$944 €840

$235 MYR 952

300.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$6,971 MYR 28.2K

219.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$56.7 MYR 229

54.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.52

$34.64 MYR 140

11.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$79.9 MYR 323

30.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$75.4 MYR 305

56.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,511

$407 MYR 1,646

317.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$296 MYR 1,198

351.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,397

$716 MYR 2,896

275.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,849

$545 MYR 2,205

280.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,371

$2,017 MYR 8,156

254.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,522

$1,175 MYR 4,753

332.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,996

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.06

-21.43%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kuala Terengganu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Kuala Terengganu

$296 32.3% 77.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Kuala Terengganu

$258 28.1% 21.3% $70

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Kuala Terengganu

$99 10.8% 62.8% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Kuala Terengganu

$88 9.6% 62.1% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Kuala Terengganu

$111 12.1% 29.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Kuala Terengganu

$47 5.1% 36.6% $27

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Kuala Terengganu

$19 2.1% 61.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $407 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $23 in Kuala Terengganu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $258 per month, with Kuala Terengganu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

12:48 12:48 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

375,424

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Kuala Terengganu 10,520 km ≈ 14 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 Terengganu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $918 in Kuala Terengganu, so Kuala Terengganu is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $1,377 in Kuala Terengganu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $407 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $235 in Kuala Terengganu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $918 in Kuala Terengganu versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kuala Terengganu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Terengganu 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 Kuala Terengganu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kuala Terengganu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.