Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Qapshaghay

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,082 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 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 Qapshaghay
Learn more

Qapshaghay Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,082

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Qapshaghay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,082 in Qapshaghay.

Barcelona $2,453
Qapshaghay $1,082

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,631 in Qapshaghay.

Barcelona $3,509
Qapshaghay $1,631

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,180 in Qapshaghay.

Barcelona $4,564
Qapshaghay $2,180

Living in Barcelona is roughly 127% more expensive than in Qapshaghay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$11.02 ₸4,990

59.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$22.49 ₸10.2K

200.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$6.63 ₸3,002

104.07%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$1.73 ₸783

84.39%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.01 ₸458

188.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.70 ₸318

170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$1.32 ₸596

203.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$1.32 ₸596

243.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.72 ₸779

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.44 ₸199

359.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.10 ₸951

-11.90%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$2.44 ₸1,105

97.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$12.21 ₸5,533

37.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$6.60 ₸2,991

38.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$10.80 ₸4,894

81.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$1.81 ₸818

64.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.39 ₸1,081

-15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.92 ₸1,322

-7.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.70 ₸1,223

3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$0.80 ₸362

161.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.56 ₸252

269.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.66 ₸752

-12.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.00 ₸452

-6.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$1.66 ₸753

313.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$10.95 ₸4,959

-27.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.21 ₸547

16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.37 ₸1,073

7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$0.20 ₸92.7

1470.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$18.05 ₸8,175

41.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$0.84 ₸383

255.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.70 ₸315

112.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$3.91 ₸1,771

753.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$0.60 ₸274

200.00%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$28.4K ₸12.8M

17.06%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$31.0K ₸14.1M

2.20%

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

$180 €161

$91.1 ₸41.3K

98.06%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$10.77 ₸4,880

28.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$18.05 ₸8,177

86.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$41.86 ₸19.0K

23.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$6.48 ₸2,937

69.60%

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

$917 €818

$142 ₸64.5K

543.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$4,442 ₸2.0M

271.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$93.2 ₸42.2K

-6.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$49.25 ₸22.3K

-21.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$142 ₸64.2K

-25.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$131 ₸59.1K

-8.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$443 ₸200.7K

283.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$308 ₸139.4K

340.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$721 ₸326.6K

261.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$503 ₸227.8K

310.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$1,131 ₸512.2K

511.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$757 ₸342.7K

577.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

20.65

-84.12%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Qapshaghay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Qapshaghay

$308 28.4% 77.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Qapshaghay

$245 22.7% 23.8% $77

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Qapshaghay

$145 13.4% 45.9% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Qapshaghay

$120 11.1% 47.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Qapshaghay

$187 17.3% 18.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1% 25.4% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Qapshaghay

$23 2.1% 52.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $443 in Qapshaghay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $22 in Qapshaghay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $245 per month, with Qapshaghay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

4 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

42,167

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Qapshaghay 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Qapshaghay

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 Qapshaghay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,082 in Qapshaghay, so Qapshaghay is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,623 in Qapshaghay 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $443 in Qapshaghay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $142 in Qapshaghay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Qapshaghay is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Qapshaghay 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.