Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Puerto Princesa

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Princesa: $842 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Princesa
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Puerto Princesa Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Puerto Princesa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Puerto Princesa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $842 in Puerto Princesa.

Barcelona $2,443
Puerto Princesa $842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,245 in Puerto Princesa.

Barcelona $3,519
Puerto Princesa $1,245

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,648 in Puerto Princesa.

Barcelona $4,595
Puerto Princesa $1,648

Living in Barcelona is roughly 190% more expensive than in Puerto Princesa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Puerto Princesa is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.79

$3.57 ₱227

394.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$20.46 ₱1,298

229.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.17

$3.27 ₱207

316.21%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$2.18 ₱139

42.20%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$0.77 ₱49.04

289.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.44 ₱28.18

338.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$1.20 ₱76.3

220.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$2.15 ₱136

102.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.69 ₱107

-26.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.14 ₱72.6

85.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.77 ₱48.99

155.84%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$1.89 ₱120

151.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.26

$4.75 ₱301

259.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$4.16 ₱264

115.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.46

$7.37 ₱467

180.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$2.48 ₱157

27.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.81 ₱115

8.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.61 ₱165

1.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$0.93 ₱58.9

209.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.53 ₱97.1

34.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.51 ₱95.6

44.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.90 ₱57.1

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.51 ₱32.52

90.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$2.78 ₱176

150.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.05

$7.01 ₱445

12.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.08 ₱68.6

31.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.84 ₱117

46.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$0.25 ₱15.91

1224.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.90

$13.38 ₱849

91.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$0.80 ₱50.8

285.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$0.22 ₱14.08

572.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.40

$1.84 ₱117

1686.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.02 ₱64.7

83.33%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$16.3K ₱1.0M

102.26%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

69.79%

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

$183 €164

$110 ₱6,985

66.08%

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

$14.24 €12.73

$16.01 ₱1,016

-11.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.91

$26.74 ₱1,696

29.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.98

$32.08 ₱2,035

60.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.65

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.89

$4.95 ₱314

123.43%

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

$944 €844

$269 ₱17.1K

250.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$7,369 ₱467.5K

202.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.4

$49.23 ₱3,123

78.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.67

$27.64 ₱1,753

40.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

$71.0 ₱4,506

47.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$59.7 ₱3,790

96.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,517

$414 ₱26.3K

310.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,195

$283 ₱17.9K

372.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,407

$797 ₱50.6K

237.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,857

$484 ₱30.7K

329.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,398

$3,936 ₱249.7K

81.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,542

$2,410 ₱152.9K

110.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,004

$287 ₱18.2K

680.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

-54.43%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Puerto Princesa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Puerto Princesa

$283 33.6% 78.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Puerto Princesa

$175 20.8% 46.6% $153

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Puerto Princesa

$80 9.5% 70.1% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Puerto Princesa

$153 18.2% 34% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Puerto Princesa

$93 11.1% 40.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Puerto Princesa

$42 5% 42.9% $32

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Puerto Princesa

$16 1.9% 67% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $414 in Puerto Princesa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 7.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $20 in Puerto Princesa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $175 per month, with Puerto Princesa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇭 Puerto Princesa

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

01:21 1:21 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

307,079

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.58 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Puerto Princesa 11,410 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Puerto Princesa

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 Puerto Princesa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $842 in Puerto Princesa, so Puerto Princesa is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 7.8 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $414 in Puerto Princesa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $269 in Puerto Princesa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $842 in Puerto Princesa versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Puerto Princesa but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Princesa 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 Puerto Princesa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Puerto Princesa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.