Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Medan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Medan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $613 in Medan.

Barcelona $2,399
Medan $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $940 in Medan.

Barcelona $3,410
Medan $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,266 in Medan.

Barcelona $4,421
Medan $1,266

Living in Barcelona is roughly 291% more expensive than in Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Medan is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

949.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

720.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

350.17%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

112.42%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.35 Rp 6,215

760.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.25 Rp 4,534

648.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

131.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

24.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

16.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

72.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

112.35%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

261.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

106.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

148.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

212.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

24.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

93.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

92.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

188.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

15.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.38 Rp 6,905

281.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.44 Rp 7,872

102.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

141.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

-50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

-20.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

-14.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.27 Rp 4,816

1007.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

324.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$0.51 Rp 9,186

511.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.19 Rp 3,465

657.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

123.75%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

40.38%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

-6.66%

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

$178 €158

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

109.63%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

320.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

47.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

214.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

90.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

236.17%

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

$957 €851

$112 Rp 2.0M

757.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

879.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

62.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

2.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$108 Rp 1.9M

-4.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$111 Rp 2.0M

9.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$233 Rp 4.2M

609.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

1350.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$494 Rp 8.9M

417.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$212 Rp 3.8M

804.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

529.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$560 Rp 10.1M

807.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$215 Rp 3.9M

959.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

9.25

-64.54%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Medan

$90 14.6% 93.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Medan

$181 29.5% 43.5% $139

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Medan

$59 9.6% 78.3% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Medan

$112 18.2% 50.6% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Medan

$140 22.9% 11.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Medan

$24 3.8% 68.8% $52

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 82.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $233 in Medan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 960% 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 $8.00 in Medan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $181 per month, with Medan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

5 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,097,610

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 IDR = 5.56 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Medan 10,280 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Medan

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 Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Medan differ by about 291% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $613 including rent). Medan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 960% 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 $233 in Medan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $112 in Medan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $613 in Medan versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Medan 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 Medan 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 Medan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 291% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.