Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Magelang

For one person, living is cheaper in Magelang: $522 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Magelang
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Magelang Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Magelang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Magelang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $522 in Magelang.

Barcelona $2,453
Magelang $522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $829 in Magelang.

Barcelona $3,509
Magelang $829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,136 in Magelang.

Barcelona $4,564
Magelang $1,136

Living in Barcelona is roughly 370% more expensive than in Magelang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Magelang is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

1147.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$8.48 Rp 153.8K

695.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

432.68%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

331.08%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.32 Rp 5,747

809.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.17 Rp 3,097

1011.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

208.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.65 Rp 48.0K

70.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

27.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

78.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

146.67%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.18 Rp 21.3K

309.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

159.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

303.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$6.95 Rp 126.1K

182.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

46.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

81.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

117.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

225.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.00 Rp 18.2K

109.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.34 Rp 24.2K

54.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

82.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.36 Rp 6,475

161.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

257.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$16.50 Rp 299.3K

-52.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

-7.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.12 Rp 38.4K

19.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.29 Rp 5,323

982.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$11.28 Rp 204.7K

125.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$0.43 Rp 7,752

595.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.32 Rp 5,785

365.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

1430.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

146.58%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$25.4K Rp 460.3M

30.79%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$28.0K Rp 507.5M

13.29%

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

$180 €162

$46.08 Rp 835.7K

291.51%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

249.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$19.56 Rp 354.7K

72.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$13.49 Rp 244.6K

281.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$3.64 Rp 66.0K

338.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

332.68%

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

$917 €821

$43.82 Rp 794.8K

1991.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$3,925 Rp 71.2M

319.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$19.01 Rp 344.9K

357.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$19.05 Rp 345.5K

102.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$57.2 Rp 1.0M

84.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$51.7 Rp 937.0K

131.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$226 Rp 4.1M

651.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$146 Rp 2.7M

825.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$561 Rp 10.2M

363.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$361 Rp 6.5M

471.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,159 Rp 21.0M

496.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$800 Rp 14.5M

540.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$170 Rp 3.1M

1200.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

7.5

-56.27%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Magelang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Magelang

$146 28.1% 89.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Magelang

$165 31.6% 48.7% $157

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Magelang

$41 8% 84.5% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Magelang

$70 13.3% 69.5% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Magelang

$66 12.7% 58.1% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Magelang

$19 3.6% 74.7% $55

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Magelang

$14 2.8% 70.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $226 in Magelang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 13 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $8 in Magelang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $165 per month, with Magelang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇩 Magelang

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

16:33 4:33 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

118,227

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Magelang 12,060 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Magelang

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 Magelang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $522 in Magelang, so Magelang is about 79% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 13 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $226 in Magelang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $44 in Magelang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $522 in Magelang versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Magelang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Magelang 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 Magelang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Magelang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.