Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sihanoukville Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sihanoukville

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $920 in Sihanoukville.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,398 in Sihanoukville.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $1,876 in Sihanoukville.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 157% more expensive than Sihanoukville, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Sihanoukville is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.12

$4.07 ៛16.4K

331.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$27.07 ៛108.9K

152.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.09

$6.91 ៛27.8K

103.47%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$2.54 ៛10.2K

9.45%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$0.84 ៛3,377

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$0.43 ៛1,731

379.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$0.99 ៛3,964

350.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.96

$1.96 ៛7,876

135.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$2.15 ៛8,653

-42.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.74

$1.46 ៛5,889

39.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$0.94 ៛3,767

104.26%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$1.77 ៛7,116

87.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.85

$13.01 ៛52.3K

41.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.16

$4.18 ៛16.8K

127.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.48

$9.25 ៛37.2K

107.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$3.60 ៛14.5K

-26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$1.38 ៛5,541

77.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.82

$3.87 ៛15.5K

-45.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$1.53 ៛6,166

86.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.31 ៛5,283

55.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.14 ៛4,585

62.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.26

$1.39 ៛5,578

5.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.67 ៛2,710

25.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.14

$1.53 ៛6,159

366.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.78

$11.15 ៛44.8K

-29.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$0.96 ៛3,850

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$1.62 ៛6,507

42.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.56

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.17

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.95

$1.08 ៛4,344

325.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$0.98 ៛3,950

111.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.10

$4.47 ៛18.0K

552.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.17 ៛4,693

57.26%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$48.0K ៛193.1M

-18.76%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$36.7K ៛147.4M

-10.82%

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

$188 €162

$105 ៛421.8K

79.06%

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

$22.93 €19.73

$6.26 ៛25.2K

266.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.58

$18.96 ៛76.3K

93.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.35

$72.9 ៛293.1K

-21.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.80

$9.98 ៛40.1K

107.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.63

$4.62 ៛18.6K

142.21%

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

$721 €620

$331 ៛1.3M

117.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €12.9K

$4,988 ៛20.1M

201.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$22.40 ៛90.1K

284.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.89

$19.63 ៛78.9K

88.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$91.2 ៛366.9K

11.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.7

$20.02 ៛80.5K

478.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,319

$408 ៛1.6M

276.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,050

$296 ៛1.2M

312.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,319

$647 ៛2.6M

316.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,732

$495 ៛2.0M

306.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,463

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,029

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

10.3

-67.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Sihanoukville: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $408 in Sihanoukville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $27.00 in Sihanoukville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $234 per month, with Sihanoukville cheaper across the board.

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 Sihanoukville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sihanoukville differ by about 157% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $920 including rent). Sihanoukville is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,550 in Barcelona and $1,379 in Sihanoukville 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $408 in Sihanoukville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $331 in Sihanoukville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sihanoukville – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $920 in Sihanoukville versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sihanoukville but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sihanoukville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.