Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Phnom Penh: $1,083 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
Learn more

Phnom Penh Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,083

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Phnom Penh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,083 in Phnom Penh.

Barcelona $2,453
Phnom Penh $1,083

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,778 in Phnom Penh.

Barcelona $3,509
Phnom Penh $1,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,474 in Phnom Penh.

Barcelona $4,564
Phnom Penh $2,474

Living in Barcelona is roughly 126% more expensive than in Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Phnom Penh is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$4.55 ៛18.5K

286.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$40.42 ៛164.6K

66.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$7.01 ៛28.6K

93.01%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.84 ៛11.6K

12.32%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.72 ៛6,998

69.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.67 ៛2,726

182.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.03 ៛4,185

289.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.05 ៛12.4K

48.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.28 ៛9,280

-42.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.60 ៛6,534

26.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.07 ៛4,376

72.90%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.82 ៛7,426

165.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$14.70 ៛59.9K

13.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$4.45 ៛18.1K

104.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$9.63 ៛39.2K

103.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.14 ៛16.9K

-28.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.70 ៛6,945

18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.49 ៛18.3K

-39.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.02 ៛8,215

38.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.72 ៛6,995

21.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.26 ៛5,123

64.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.39 ៛5,656

5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.77 ៛3,145

22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$1.95 ៛7,930

252.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$11.14 ៛45.4K

-29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.01 ៛4,120

39.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.79 ៛7,293

41.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.38 ៛1,559

726.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$9.88 ៛40.2K

157.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.10 ៛4,462

171.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.01 ៛4,125

47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$5.02 ៛20.4K

564.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.36 ៛5,551

32.35%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.8K ៛141.8M

-4.65%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$44.6K ៛181.9M

-28.99%

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

$180 €162

$118 ៛481.6K

52.59%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$7.32 ៛29.8K

89.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$25.26 ៛102.9K

33.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$37.94 ៛154.6K

35.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$11.05 ៛45.0K

44.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$5.09 ៛20.7K

115.91%

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

$917 €821

$597 ៛2.4M

53.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.1K ៛45.3M

48.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$28.17 ៛114.7K

208.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$24.25 ៛98.8K

58.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$90.2 ៛367.3K

17.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$58.1 ៛236.5K

106.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$658 ៛2.7M

158.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$406 ៛1.7M

233.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,441 ៛5.9M

80.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$950 ៛3.9M

117.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,710 ៛11.0M

155.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,523 ៛6.2M

236.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$315 ៛1.3M

601.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

7.94

-58.69%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Phnom Penh

$406 37.5% 70% $949

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Phnom Penh

$258 23.8% 19.8% $64

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Phnom Penh

$112 10.4% 58.1% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Phnom Penh

$151 13.9% 33.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Phnom Penh

$90 8.3% 42.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Phnom Penh

$48 4.4% 34.5% $25

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Phnom Penh

$18 1.6% 63.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $658 in Phnom Penh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $40 in Phnom Penh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $258 per month, with Phnom Penh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,009,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,548 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Phnom Penh 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Phnom Penh

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,083 in Phnom Penh, so Phnom Penh is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 7 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $658 in Phnom Penh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $597 in Phnom Penh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,083 in Phnom Penh versus $2,453 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 both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phnom Penh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.