Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Siem Reap

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $818 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Siem Reap
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$818
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Siem Reap

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $818 in Siem Reap.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Siem Reap $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,338 in Siem Reap.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Siem Reap $1,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,858 in Siem Reap.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Siem Reap $1,858

Living in Barcelona is roughly 200% more expensive than in Siem Reap, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Siem Reap is 40% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Siem Reap
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.75
$2.51 ៛10.2K
600.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.5
$23.83 ៛97.1K
183.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.12
$8.06 ៛32.8K
67.87%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.86
$1.67 ៛6,788
91.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.61
$0.71 ៛2,889
309.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$0.40 ៛1,625
372.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.59
$1.03 ៛4,190
289.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.06
$1.98 ៛8,078
128.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Siem Reap
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$2.18 ៛8,875
-39.91%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.74 ៛7,078
16.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$0.94 ៛3,824
96.81%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.33
$1.75 ៛7,119
176.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €14.99
$15.24 ៛62.1K
9.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.17
$2.95 ៛12.0K
209.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.59
$10.07 ៛41.0K
95.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.67
$4.23 ៛17.2K
-29.55%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.28 ៛5,227
57.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.42
$3.83 ៛15.6K
-29.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.51
$1.05 ៛4,284
166.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$1.32 ៛5,377
58.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$1.11 ៛4,528
86.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.29 ៛5,264
13.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.80 ៛3,242
17.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.15
$1.42 ៛5,773
383.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.06
$8.11 ៛33.1K
-2.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.00 ៛4,070
41.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.27
$2.32 ៛9,450
9.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Siem Reap
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$1.03 ៛4,178
204.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.79
$15.11 ៛61.6K
68.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.68
$2.01 ៛8,210
48.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$1.01 ៛4,134
47.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.89
$5.08 ៛20.7K
556.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.24 ៛5,065
45.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.7K
$24.7K ៛100.6M
34.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.4K
$22.7K ៛92.5M
39.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Siem Reap
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$101 ៛410.7K
79.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.39
$5.53 ៛22.5K
150.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.18
$15.38 ៛62.7K
119.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Siem Reap
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.13
$33.19 ៛135.3K
55.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.29
$13.75 ៛56.0K
16.07%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.85
$5.14 ៛20.9K
113.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Siem Reap
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €821
$286 ៛1.2M
220.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$4,379 ៛17.8M
276.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Siem Reap
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €77.9
$26.54 ៛108.2K
227.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.49
$13.43 ៛54.7K
186.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.8
$67.5 ៛274.8K
56.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$44.82 ៛182.6K
167.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Siem Reap
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,522
$337 ៛1.4M
404.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,214
$244 ៛993.1K
456.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,331
$685 ៛2.8M
280.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,847
$603 ៛2.5M
241.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,193
$2,492 ៛10.2M
177.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,592
$1,074 ៛4.4M
377.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Siem Reap
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,980
$234 ៛952.9K
845.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
9.2
-64.35%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Siem Reap: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Siem Reap
$244 82% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Siem Reap
$237 26.5% $85
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Siem Reap
$78 71% $190
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Siem Reap
$122 46.6% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Siem Reap
$69 56.6% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Siem Reap
$43 40.9% $30
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Siem Reap
$26 45.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $337 in Siem Reap. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 9.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $24 in Siem Reap for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $237 per month, with Siem Reap cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇰🇭 Siem Reap
🕒 Local time
09:03 9:03 AM
15:03 3:03 PM
6 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
171,800
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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 = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,547 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Siem Reap 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Siem Reap

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 Siem Reap: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Siem Reap?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $818 in Siem Reap, so Siem Reap is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Barcelona or Siem Reap?
Average pay in Barcelona is about 9.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Siem Reap?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $337 in Siem Reap. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Siem Reap?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $286 in Siem Reap. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is feasible on a $800 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Siem Reap is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Siem Reap?
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.
Is Barcelona or Siem Reap safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Siem Reap are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Siem Reap?
Expats usually find Siem Reap gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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