Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mambajao

For one person, living is cheaper in Mambajao: $497 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
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Mambajao Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mambajao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $497 in Mambajao.

Barcelona $2,443
Mambajao $497

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $799 in Mambajao.

Barcelona $3,519
Mambajao $799

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,101 in Mambajao.

Barcelona $4,595
Mambajao $1,101

Living in Barcelona is roughly 391% more expensive than in Mambajao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Mambajao is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$1.36 ₱86.1

1198.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$15.81 ₱1,004

326.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$3.20 ₱203

325.31%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$2.18 ₱138

42.20%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$0.38 ₱23.97

689.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.28 ₱17.82

589.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$0.94 ₱59.6

308.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$1.11 ₱70.7

292.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.84 ₱53.1

48.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$0.57 ₱36.48

271.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.67 ₱42.78

194.03%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$1.20 ₱76.2

296.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$5.43 ₱345

214.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$4.17 ₱265

114.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$5.59 ₱355

269.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.28 ₱145

38.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.50 ₱95.1

31.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.39 ₱152

10.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.12 ₱71.3

157.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.23 ₱78.3

67.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.20 ₱140

-0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.09 ₱69.0

40.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.52 ₱33.31

86.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$2.91 ₱185

139.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$7.44 ₱473

6.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.01 ₱64.4

40.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.15 ₱73.0

133.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.21 ₱13.04

1476.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$12.49 ₱793

105.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$0.76 ₱48.07

305.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.22 ₱13.97

572.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$1.86 ₱118

1667.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.23 ₱78.2

52.03%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

57.48%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

65.81%

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

$183 €163

$63.3 ₱4,019

188.82%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$15.26 ₱969

-6.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$19.19 ₱1,218

80.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$30.84 ₱1,958

66.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

$5.33 ₱338

207.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$5.00 ₱317

121.20%

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

$944 €842

$128 ₱8,148

635.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$7,987 ₱507.1K

178.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$32.01 ₱2,032

173.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$19.38 ₱1,231

100.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$69.5 ₱4,409

50.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$55.5 ₱3,521

112.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$96.7 ₱6,141

1654.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$55.8 ₱3,539

2297.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$235 ₱14.9K

1044.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$154 ₱9,764

1250.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$2,632 ₱167.1K

171.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$1,104 ₱70.1K

359.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

$150 ₱9,516

1395.49%

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 Mambajao: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Mambajao

$56 11.2% 95.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Mambajao

$152 30.6% 53.6% $176

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Mambajao

$56 11.3% 79% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Mambajao

$98 19.7% 57.8% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Mambajao

$79 16% 49.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Mambajao

$41 8.2% 44.5% $33

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Mambajao

$15 3.1% 69.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $97 in Mambajao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 15 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $16 in Mambajao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $152 per month, with Mambajao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🕒 Local time

09:17 9:17 AM

16:17 4:17 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

41,094

💱 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.17 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Mambajao 11,900 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mambajao

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 Mambajao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $497 in Mambajao, so Mambajao is about 80% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 15 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 $97 in Mambajao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $128 in Mambajao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 115% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $497 in Mambajao versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Mambajao but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mambajao 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 Mambajao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Mambajao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.