Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Surin

For one person, living is cheaper in Surin: $869 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Surin
🇹🇭 Thailand
$869
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Surin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $869 in Surin.

  • Barcelona $2,381
  • Surin $869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,444 in Surin.

  • Barcelona $3,406
  • Surin $1,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,018 in Surin.

  • Barcelona $4,431
  • Surin $2,018

Living in Barcelona is roughly 174% more expensive than in Surin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Surin is 36% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Surin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.89 €15.92
$3.03 ฿101
490.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €58.9
$24.70 ฿826
167.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.69 €12.18
$7.23 ฿242
89.35%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$1.74 ฿58.3
75.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.73
$0.61 ฿20.30
403.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.73
$0.33 ฿10.89
487.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.44
$2.20 ฿73.5
75.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €4.10
$3.42 ฿114
34.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Surin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.57 ฿52.4
-17.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.31 ฿43.79
60.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 €1.62
$1.47 ฿48.98
24.49%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.11
$1.90 ฿63.5
143.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.36 €15.44
$17.41 ฿582
-0.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 €8.25
$2.48 ฿83.0
274.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 €17.64
$8.89 ฿297
123.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.68
$2.57 ฿86.0
17.12%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$1.02 ฿34.23
99.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$2.48 ฿82.9
6.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 €2.55
$2.05 ฿68.5
40.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.44 ฿48.20
50.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$0.95 ฿31.77
126.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$0.94 ฿31.37
56.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.44 ฿14.59
100.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.93 €6.16
$4.27 ฿143
62.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 €6.96
$16.36 ฿547
-52.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.57 ฿52.4
-11.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 €2.34
$3.01 ฿100
-12.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Surin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.59
$0.92 ฿30.79
216.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.46 €22.64
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 €2.66
$1.37 ฿45.65
118.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.01 ฿33.73
42.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.20 €29.53
$6.04 ฿202
449.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.35 ฿45.06
37.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.8K
$22.7K ฿758.4K
42.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.2K
$27.1K ฿904.4K
17.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Surin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$77.8 ฿2,601
134.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 €12.11
$11.53 ฿385
18.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.29
$18.68 ฿624
76.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Surin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.7 €48.65
$41.58 ฿1,390
31.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.52 €14.70
$11.45 ฿383
44.28%
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €9.99
$6.51 ฿218
72.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Surin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$954 €849
$628 ฿21.0K
52.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.8K
$12.1K ฿405.0K
37.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Surin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.0 €76.5
$53.1 ฿1,773
62.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.11 €34.78
$27.95 ฿934
39.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.2
$73.3 ฿2,451
41.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$68.0 ฿2,274
74.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Surin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,508
$440 ฿14.7K
285.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 €1,135
$273 ฿9,126
367.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,291
$1,185 ฿39.6K
117.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,922 €1,710
$714 ฿23.9K
169.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,281 €6,477
$1,730 ฿57.8K
320.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,010 €4,456
$1,518 ฿50.7K
230.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Surin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,227 €1,981
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
5.57
-41.11%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Surin: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Surin
$273 78.6% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
Surin
$235 27.9% $91
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Surin
$88 67.2% $181
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
Surin
$108 52.9% $121
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$156
Surin
$100 36% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$77
Surin
$55 29.2% $23
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Surin
$10 * 78.7% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $440 in Surin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $25.00 in Surin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $235 per month, with Surin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇹🇭 Surin
🕒 Local time
08:28 8:28 AM
13:28 1:28 PM
5 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
40,104
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Surin 9,830 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Surin

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 Surin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Surin?
Barcelona and Surin differ by about 174% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $869 including rent). Surin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Surin?
You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $1,303 in Surin 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Surin?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $440 in Surin. 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 Surin?
Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $628 in Surin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Surin – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $869 in Surin versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Surin but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Surin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Surin?
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 Surin safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Surin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Surin?
Expats usually find Surin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 174% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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