Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Phnom Penh Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Phnom Penh

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $963 in Phnom Penh.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,487 in Phnom Penh.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $2,011 in Phnom Penh.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 146% more expensive than Phnom Penh, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Phnom Penh is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.12

$5.14 ៛20.7K

242.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$29.79 ៛119.8K

129.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.09

$6.95 ៛27.9K

102.30%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$2.65 ៛10.7K

4.91%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$1.02 ៛4,111

174.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$1.03 ៛4,154

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$1.47 ៛5,900

203.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.96

$2.55 ៛10.3K

80.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$2.07 ៛8,342

-40.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.74

$1.46 ៛5,853

39.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$1.03 ៛4,156

86.41%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$1.83 ៛7,346

80.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.85

$12.64 ៛50.8K

45.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.16

$4.04 ៛16.2K

134.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.48

$10.44 ៛42.0K

83.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$4.60 ៛18.5K

-42.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$1.62 ៛6,500

51.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.82

$3.81 ៛15.3K

-44.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$1.45 ៛5,823

96.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.67 ៛6,719

22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.24 ៛4,992

49.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.26

$1.40 ៛5,613

5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.67 ៛2,689

25.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.14

$2.03 ៛8,167

251.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.78

$11.90 ៛47.9K

-33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.02 ៛4,085

35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$1.70 ៛6,838

35.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.56

$1.53 ៛6,138

94.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.17

$10.79 ៛43.4K

171.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.95

$1.04 ៛4,172

342.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.01 ៛4,065

104.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.10

$4.61 ៛18.6K

532.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.18 ៛4,750

55.93%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$49.6K ៛199.6M

-21.42%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$36.8K ៛147.8M

-11.03%

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

$188 €162

$106 ៛426.7K

76.97%

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

$22.93 €19.73

$6.41 ៛25.8K

257.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.58

$23.17 ៛93.2K

58.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.35

$46.71 ៛187.8K

22.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.80

$14.54 ៛58.5K

42.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.63

$4.62 ៛18.6K

142.21%

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

$721 €620

$374 ៛1.5M

92.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €12.9K

$11.7K ៛47.0M

28.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$22.36 ៛89.9K

285.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.89

$22.30 ៛89.7K

66.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$89.9 ៛361.5K

13.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.7

$72.2 ៛290.4K

60.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,319

$504 ៛2.0M

204.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,050

$280 ៛1.1M

335.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,319

$1,023 ៛4.1M

163.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,732

$567 ៛2.3M

255.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,211

$2,925 ៛11.8M

146.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,463

$1,484 ៛6.0M

249.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,029

$349 ៛1.4M

575.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

10.3

-67.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $504 in Phnom Penh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 576% 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 $30.00 in Phnom Penh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $245 per month, with Phnom Penh cheaper across the board.

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Phnom Penh differ by about 146% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $963 including rent). Phnom Penh is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Barcelona pays 576% more on average, 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $504 in Phnom Penh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $374 in Phnom Penh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $963 in Phnom Penh versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phnom Penh but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Phnom Penh 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 Phnom Penh 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 Phnom Penh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.