Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Makhachkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,009 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Makhachkala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,009 in Makhachkala.

Barcelona $2,399
Makhachkala $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,562 in Makhachkala.

Barcelona $3,410
Makhachkala $1,562

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $2,115 in Makhachkala.

Barcelona $4,421
Makhachkala $2,115

Living in Barcelona is roughly 138% more expensive than in Makhachkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Makhachkala is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$10.20 ₽851

75.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$31.73 ₽2,648

114.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$5.48 ₽457

142.34%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.65 ₽221

22.64%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$1.17 ₽98.0

157.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.61 ₽51.1

206.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$1.94 ₽162

98.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.94 ₽246

52.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.10 ₽91.6

17.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$0.71 ₽58.9

187.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.41 ₽118

21.99%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.53 ₽127

211.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$10.99 ₽917

52.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$5.39 ₽450

65.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$11.03 ₽921

80.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.70 ₽142

75.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.75 ₽146

16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.75 ₽146

56.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.78 ₽232

-3.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.81 ₽67.4

159.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.61 ₽51.1

240.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.23 ₽103

17.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.74 ₽61.8

20.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$3.33 ₽278

108.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$7.92 ₽661

-1.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.10 ₽91.4

31.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.02 ₽168

27.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.54 ₽44.80

453.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.70 ₽225

15.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.40 ₽33.48

260.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$5.71 ₽477

486.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.84 ₽70.2

113.10%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$41.0K ₽3.4M

-15.47%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$37.4K ₽3.1M

-19.50%

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

$178 €158

$110 ₽9,172

61.84%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$5.49 ₽458

142.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$8.44 ₽705

313.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$35.62 ₽2,973

49.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$23.57 ₽1,967

-32.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$6.13 ₽512

80.42%

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

$957 €851

$348 ₽29.1K

174.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$5,288 ₽441.3K

213.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$80.1 ₽6,688

10.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$54.1 ₽4,518

-27.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$102 ₽8,539

0.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$112 ₽9,353

8.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$460 ₽38.4K

259.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$315 ₽26.3K

313.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$891 ₽74.4K

187.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$556 ₽46.4K

244.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$2,226 ₽185.8K

227.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,492 ₽124.5K

240.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$622 ₽51.9K

266.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

21.45

-84.71%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Makhachkala

$315 31.2% 75.8% $987

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Makhachkala

$206 20.4% 35.8% $115

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Makhachkala

$153 15.1% 43.5% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Makhachkala

$124 12.3% 45.2% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Makhachkala

$157 15.6% 0.9% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Makhachkala

$48 4.8% 36.5% $27

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Makhachkala

$6.9 * 0.7% 85.6% $41

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 $1,653 in Barcelona and $460 in Makhachkala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 267% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $32.00 in Makhachkala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $206 per month, with Makhachkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

11:39 11:39 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

604,266

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Barcelona Makhachkala 3,690 km ≈ 5 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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Makhachkala differ by about 138% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,009 including rent). Makhachkala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 267% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $460 in Makhachkala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $348 in Makhachkala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Makhachkala – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,009 in Makhachkala versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Makhachkala but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Makhachkala 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 Makhachkala are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Makhachkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.