Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Panglao

For one person, living is cheaper in Panglao: $795 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Panglao
Learn more

Panglao Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Panglao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Panglao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $795 in Panglao.

Barcelona $2,443
Panglao $795

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,113 in Panglao.

Barcelona $3,519
Panglao $1,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,431 in Panglao.

Barcelona $4,595
Panglao $1,431

Living in Barcelona is roughly 207% more expensive than in Panglao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Panglao is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.80

$3.89 ₱245

353.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.4

$23.45 ₱1,477

187.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.18

$3.93 ₱248

246.31%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$2.14 ₱135

44.86%

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

$3.00 €2.69

$0.69 ₱43.45

334.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.47 ₱29.59

310.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$1.54 ₱96.8

149.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$1.84 ₱116

136.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.58 ₱99.4

-20.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.09 ₱68.8

94.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.92 ₱58.0

114.13%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$1.69 ₱106

181.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.27

$4.73 ₱298

260.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$4.52 ₱285

98.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.48

$7.65 ₱482

169.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$1.90 ₱120

66.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.31 ₱82.7

50.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.94 ₱122

36.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$1.49 ₱94.0

93.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.30 ₱145

-10.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.89 ₱119

15.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.07 ₱67.3

42.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.46 ₱28.66

110.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$2.89 ₱182

141.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$5.73 ₱361

37.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.80 ₱50.1

77.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.55 ₱97.4

73.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$0.22 ₱13.79

1404.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.91

$12.47 ₱786

105.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$0.74 ₱46.41

316.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$0.22 ₱13.88

572.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.42

$1.85 ₱117

1676.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.94 ₱59.2

98.94%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

56.56%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

66.95%

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

$183 €164

$58.2 ₱3,667

214.01%

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

$14.24 €12.74

$6.53 ₱411

118.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.93

$23.87 ₱1,503

44.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €46.01

$20.83 ₱1,312

146.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.66

$5.16 ₱325

217.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.90

$3.92 ₱247

182.14%

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

$944 €844

$132 ₱8,319

614.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$7,973 ₱502.2K

179.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.5

$32.20 ₱2,028

172.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.70

$19.54 ₱1,231

98.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

$66.0 ₱4,156

58.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$46.55 ₱2,931

152.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,518

$279 ₱17.6K

508.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,196

$336 ₱21.2K

297.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,409

$541 ₱34.1K

397.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,858

$396 ₱25.0K

424.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,402

$933 ₱58.7K

667.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,545

$1,091 ₱68.7K

365.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,006

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

7.2

-55.69%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Panglao: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Panglao

$336 42.2% 74.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Panglao

$168 21.2% 48.6% $159

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Panglao

$85 10.6% 68.3% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Panglao

$89 11.1% 61.7% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Panglao

$74 9.3% 52.9% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Panglao

$29 3.6% 61% $45

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Panglao

$15 1.9% 69.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $279 in Panglao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $23 in Panglao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $168 per month, with Panglao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇭 Panglao

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

39,839

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.98 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.73 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Panglao 11,800 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Panglao

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 Panglao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $795 in Panglao, so Panglao is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $1,193 in Panglao to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $279 in Panglao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $132 in Panglao. 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.

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 Panglao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Panglao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.