Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Surin Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Surin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,495 in Barcelona versus $923 in Surin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,550 in Barcelona versus $1,496 in Surin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,605 in Barcelona versus $2,069 in Surin.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 170% more expensive than in Surin, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 82% above, Surin is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.39 €15.83

$3.07 ฿101

499.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 €59.5

$23.55 ฿774

193.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.13 €12.16

$7.76 ฿255

82.09%

Cappuccino

$3.13 €2.70

$2.12 ฿69.8

47.64%

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

$3.02 €2.59

$0.70 ฿22.87

331.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.69

$0.32 ฿10.64

512.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.00 €3.44

$2.10 ฿68.9

90.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 €4.10

$3.01 ฿99.0

58.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.07

$1.88 ฿61.9

-33.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.86

$1.44 ฿47.35

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.45

$1.26 ฿41.32

34.13%

Eggs

$4.93 €4.24

$2.20 ฿72.4

124.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.88 €15.39

$16.38 ฿538

9.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.27

$2.85 ฿93.6

237.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 €16.64

$10.98 ฿361

76.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 €2.78

$3.21 ฿106

0.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.87

$1.12 ฿36.86

94.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 €2.30

$2.29 ฿75.3

16.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 €2.39

$1.69 ฿55.6

63.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.90

$1.50 ฿49.20

47.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.88

$1.18 ฿38.65

85.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.31

$1.11 ฿36.39

36.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.79

$0.54 ฿17.65

70.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.12 €6.13

$4.40 ฿145

61.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 €7.00

$15.48 ฿509

-47.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.29

$1.70 ฿55.7

-11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 €2.39

$2.86 ฿94.0

-2.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 €2.71

$0.90 ฿29.74

250.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.99 €23.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 €2.80

$1.24 ฿40.63

162.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.29

$1.12 ฿36.80

33.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.89 €30.03

$3.99 ฿131

774.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.50

$1.45 ฿47.60

20.69%

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

$36.7K €31.5K

$24.7K ฿811.5K

48.48%

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

$30.9K €26.6K

$27.4K ฿901.5K

12.81%

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

$188 €161

$83.7 ฿2,750

124.28%

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

$15.44 €13.29

$12.57 ฿413

22.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.80 €32.52

$19.77 ฿650

91.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 €49.21

$47.45 ฿1,560

20.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 €14.45

$14.17 ฿466

18.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.58 €9.96

$6.79 ฿223

70.54%

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

$1,003 €863

$561 ฿18.4K

78.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €14.6K

$11.3K ฿370.9K

50.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 €76.8

$52.4 ฿1,722

70.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.87 €35.17

$30.52 ฿1,003

33.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €94.6

$76.9 ฿2,526

43.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €106

$77.0 ฿2,532

59.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 €1,440

$465 ฿15.3K

259.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 €1,146

$291 ฿9,564

357.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,596 €2,234

$1,263 ฿41.5K

105.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 €1,678

$702 ฿23.1K

177.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,573 €6,517

$1,961 ฿64.5K

286.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,370 €4,621

$1,634 ฿53.7K

228.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,402 €2,067

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

5.57

-43.27%

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

Last update for Barcelona: August 30, 2026

Last update for Surin: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in Barcelona and $465 in Surin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Barcelona vs $24.00 in Surin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $247 per month, with Surin 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 Surin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Surin differ by about 170% in total monthly costs ($2,495 vs $923 including rent). Surin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,743 in Barcelona and $1,384 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,673 in Barcelona versus $465 in Surin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,003 in Barcelona versus $561 in Surin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surin – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $69.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $923 in Surin versus $2,495 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.

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 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.

Expats usually find Surin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.