Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Laoag City

For one person, living is cheaper in Laoag City: $720 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Laoag City
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Laoag City Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Laoag City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $720 in Laoag City.

Barcelona $2,443
Laoag City $720

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,097 in Laoag City.

Barcelona $3,519
Laoag City $1,097

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,475 in Laoag City.

Barcelona $4,595
Laoag City $1,475

Living in Barcelona is roughly 239% more expensive than in Laoag City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Laoag City is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.79

$3.95 ₱250

347.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$16.69 ₱1,059

304.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.17

$2.79 ₱177

387.81%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$2.13 ₱135

45.54%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$0.69 ₱43.62

334.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.31 ₱19.58

522.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$1.19 ₱75.4

222.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$2.04 ₱130

113.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.65 ₱105

-24.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.15 ₱72.9

84.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.90 ₱56.9

118.89%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$1.92 ₱122

147.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.26

$5.43 ₱344

214.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$4.18 ₱265

114.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.46

$6.94 ₱440

197.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$2.39 ₱152

32.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.59 ₱101

23.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.40 ₱152

10.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$1.11 ₱70.3

159.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.04 ₱129

0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.19 ₱139

-0.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.04 ₱66.0

47.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.53 ₱33.68

83.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$2.92 ₱185

138.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.05

$7.50 ₱476

5.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.97 ₱61.3

46.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.93 ₱122

39.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$0.22 ₱13.95

1404.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.90

$12.26 ₱778

108.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$0.75 ₱47.81

310.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$0.23 ₱14.62

543.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.40

$1.91 ₱121

1620.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.00 ₱63.2

87.00%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

56.79%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

69.86%

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

$183 €164

$119 ₱7,553

53.59%

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

$14.24 €12.73

$15.64 ₱992

-8.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.91

$23.94 ₱1,519

44.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.98

$31.30 ₱1,986

64.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.65

$5.11 ₱324

220.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.89

$5.06 ₱321

118.58%

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

$944 €844

$131 ₱8,335

618.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$7,744 ₱491.3K

187.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.4

$32.77 ₱2,079

167.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.67

$19.23 ₱1,220

101.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

$69.8 ₱4,429

49.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$55.0 ₱3,490

113.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,517

$247 ₱15.6K

588.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,195

$167 ₱10.6K

700.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,407

$497 ₱31.5K

441.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,857

$344 ₱21.8K

503.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,398

$2,674 ₱169.7K

167.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,542

$1,094 ₱69.4K

364.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,004

$159 ₱10.1K

1307.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.92

-53.90%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Laoag City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Laoag City

$167 23.2% 87.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Laoag City

$179 24.8% 45.5% $149

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Laoag City

$80 11.1% 70.2% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Laoag City

$159 22% 31.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Laoag City

$80 11.1% 49.3% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Laoag City

$41 5.8% 43.7% $32

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Laoag City

$15 2.1% 69.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $247 in Laoag City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 14 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $17 in Laoag City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $179 per month, with Laoag City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

112,117

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Laoag City 10,860 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Laoag City

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 Laoag City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $720 in Laoag City, so Laoag City is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 14 times higher, 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $247 in Laoag City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $131 in Laoag City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $720 in Laoag City versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Laoag City but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Laoag City 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.

Expats usually find Laoag City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.