Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Samarinda

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarinda: $642 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Samarinda
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Samarinda Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Samarinda

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Samarinda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $642 in Samarinda.

Barcelona $2,443
Samarinda $642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,028 in Samarinda.

Barcelona $3,519
Samarinda $1,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,414 in Samarinda.

Barcelona $4,595
Samarinda $1,414

Living in Barcelona is roughly 281% more expensive than in Samarinda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Samarinda is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$1.67 Rp 30.2K

957.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$14.01 Rp 253.3K

381.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$3.21 Rp 57.9K

323.99%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$1.53 Rp 27.6K

102.61%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.46 Rp 8,247

552.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.22 Rp 3,962

777.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

72.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$3.49 Rp 63.1K

24.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.88 Rp 16.0K

140.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.69 Rp 12.4K

185.51%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$1.44 Rp 26.0K

230.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$6.90 Rp 124.7K

147.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$3.46 Rp 62.6K

158.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$9.62 Rp 173.8K

114.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$4.98 Rp 90.0K

-36.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

74.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

145.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.39 Rp 25.2K

107.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

58.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

22.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

75.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.51 Rp 9,138

90.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

253.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

$20.99 Rp 379.3K

-62.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.87 Rp 33.8K

-24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.99 Rp 54.1K

-10.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.25 Rp 4,528

1224.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

$11.74 Rp 212.3K

118.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$0.49 Rp 8,868

528.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.32 Rp 5,711

362.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

$2.89 Rp 52.3K

1037.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

117.44%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$23.3K Rp 420.3M

41.75%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$31.9K Rp 576.5M

0.16%

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

$183 €163

$64.3 Rp 1.2M

184.50%

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

$14.24 €12.69

$4.19 Rp 75.7K

239.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

$18.74 Rp 338.8K

84.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$18.20 Rp 328.9K

182.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

$8.08 Rp 146.0K

102.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$2.73 Rp 49.4K

305.13%

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

$944 €841

$94.4 Rp 1.7M

899.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$8,162 Rp 147.5M

172.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$43.41 Rp 784.6K

101.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

$28.34 Rp 512.2K

36.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$74.3 Rp 1.3M

40.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$70.4 Rp 1.3M

67.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

$224 Rp 4.0M

658.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$144 Rp 2.6M

825.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$540 Rp 9.8M

398.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$362 Rp 6.5M

473.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

$1,163 Rp 21.0M

515.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$798 Rp 14.4M

536.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

$332 Rp 6.0M

574.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

9.46

-66.28%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Samarinda: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Samarinda

$144 22.5% 89.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Samarinda

$212 33% 35.3% $116

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Samarinda

$62 9.7% 76.7% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Samarinda

$87 13.6% 62.4% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Samarinda

$97 15.2% 37.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Samarinda

$24 3.7% 67.8% $50

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Samarinda

$15 2.3% 70% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $224 in Samarinda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $14 in Samarinda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $212 per month, with Samarinda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇩 Samarinda

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

726,223

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 IDR = 5.53 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18,075 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.53 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Samarinda 12,100 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Samarinda

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 Samarinda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $642 in Samarinda, so Samarinda is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 6.7 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $224 in Samarinda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $94 in Samarinda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Samarinda versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Samarinda but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Samarinda 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.

Expats usually find Samarinda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.