Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $726 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mombasa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $726 in Mombasa.

Barcelona $2,405
Mombasa $726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $1,140 in Mombasa.

Barcelona $3,477
Mombasa $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $1,553 in Mombasa.

Barcelona $4,550
Mombasa $1,553

Living in Barcelona is roughly 231% more expensive than in Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 79% above, Mombasa is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$2.65 KES 343

578.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$24.75 KES 3,210

172.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$10.36 KES 1,343

29.05%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$2.75 KES 357

21.45%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$0.68 KES 88.1

333.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.52 KES 67.1

265.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$2.28 KES 296

70.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$3.33 KES 432

37.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.99 KES 128

28.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.53 KES 69.3

269.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.52 KES 197

15.13%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$1.75 KES 227

179.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$13.89 KES 1,802

25.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$4.92 KES 639

84.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$5.42 KES 703

272.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.17 KES 282

41.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.15 KES 149

76.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.77 KES 230

46.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$0.71 KES 91.6

281.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$0.74 KES 95.8

190.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.05 KES 136

110.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.60 KES 78.0

156.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.46 KES 59.4

102.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$3.99 KES 517

77.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$9.71 KES 1,259

-21.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.93 KES 250

-22.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.90 KES 377

-5.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.80 KES 103

268.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$39.24 KES 5,089

-33.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$3.17 KES 411

-1.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.76 KES 229

-17.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$4.49 KES 583

661.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.59 KES 206

12.58%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$12.1K KES 1.6M

186.22%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

149.19%

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

$181 €161

$76.8 KES 9,958

135.32%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$9.20 KES 1,194

47.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$34.52 KES 4,478

1.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$18.03 KES 2,339

194.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$19.39 KES 2,515

-17.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$15.22 KES 1,974

-25.30%

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

$939 €838

$85.5 KES 11.1K

998.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$5,377 KES 697.4K

207.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$13.31 KES 1,727

562.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$13.57 KES 1,760

193.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$23.10 KES 2,996

347.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$46.02 KES 5,969

159.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$231 KES 30.0K

634.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$157 KES 20.3K

729.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$538 KES 69.8K

378.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$374 KES 48.5K

419.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$5,456 KES 707.6K

36.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$3,836 KES 497.6K

35.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$318 KES 41.3K

622.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-74.77%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Mombasa

$157 21.8% 87.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Mombasa

$186 26% 42.7% $139

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Mombasa

$108 15.1% 60.2% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Mombasa

$121 16.8% 47.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Mombasa

$43 6% 72.6% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Mombasa

$48 6.8% 36.1% $27

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Mombasa

$54 7.6% 13.1% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $231 in Mombasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 623% 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: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $25.00 in Mombasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $186 per month, with Mombasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

13:20 1:20 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Mombasa 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mombasa

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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Mombasa differ by about 231% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $726 including rent). Mombasa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 623% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $231 in Mombasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $85.5 in Mombasa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $726 in Mombasa versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mombasa but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mombasa 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 Mombasa 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 Mombasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 231% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.