Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Surinam

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $624 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Surinam, Mauritius
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Surinam
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$624
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Surinam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $624 in Surinam.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Surinam $624

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,046 in Surinam.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Surinam $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,469 in Surinam.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Surinam $1,469

Living in Barcelona is roughly 293% more expensive than in Surinam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Surinam is 54% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Surinam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.69
$5.90 MUR 275
198.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.2
$38.29 MUR 1,784
76.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.07
$7.48 MUR 348
80.88%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.85
$2.61 MUR 121
22.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.60
$1.13 MUR 52.8
157.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.69
$0.68 MUR 31.66
177.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.58
$2.58 MUR 120
55.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.04
$4.65 MUR 217
-2.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Surinam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.16
$1.60 MUR 74.4
-18.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.80
$0.74 MUR 34.55
172.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.65
$1.16 MUR 54.1
59.48%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.31
$2.55 MUR 119
89.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €14.93
$5.20 MUR 242
221.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.14
$6.48 MUR 302
40.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.52
$11.15 MUR 520
76.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.66
$2.79 MUR 130
6.81%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$2.71 MUR 126
-25.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.41
$1.45 MUR 67.4
86.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.50
$2.95 MUR 137
-5.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.86
$0.94 MUR 43.68
122.34%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$1.01 MUR 47.26
104.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.30
$0.75 MUR 34.77
94.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.84 MUR 39.33
11.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.13
$6.31 MUR 294
8.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.04
$8.62 MUR 402
-8.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.25
$1.65 MUR 76.7
-14.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.26
$2.36 MUR 110
7.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Surinam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.80
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.70
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.67
$4.27 MUR 199
-29.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.33
$3.16 MUR 147
-52.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.78
$20.84 MUR 971
60.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.60
$1.42 MUR 66.0
26.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.6K
$37.1K MUR 1.7M
-10.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.3K
$31.5K MUR 1.5M
0.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Surinam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €161
$44.96 MUR 2,094
301.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.35
$10.55 MUR 491
31.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.06
$29.52 MUR 1,375
14.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Surinam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €45.96
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.24
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.81
$6.49 MUR 302
69.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Surinam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €818
$128 MUR 5,985
613.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.7K
$7,668 MUR 357.2K
114.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Surinam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €77.7
$76.3 MUR 3,553
14.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.35
$73.5 MUR 3,425
-47.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.4
$121 MUR 5,644
-12.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$77.9 MUR 3,629
53.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Surinam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,516
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,209
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,322
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,840
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,169
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,575
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Surinam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,972
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
6.67
-50.82%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Surinam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Surinam
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Surinam
$219 32.1% $103
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Surinam
$130 51.3% $138
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Surinam
$85 62.7% $143
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Surinam
$157 0.6% $1
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Surinam
$13 * 82.3% $61
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Surinam
$20 * 58.6% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $38 in Surinam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $219 per month, with Surinam cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇲🇺 Surinam
🕒 Local time
23:00 11:00 PM
02:00 2:00 AM
3 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
10,500
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Surinam 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Surinam

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 Surinam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Surinam?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $624 in Surinam, so Surinam is about 75% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Surinam?
You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $936 in Surinam 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.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Surinam?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $128 in Surinam. 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 Surinam – a meal for two runs $38 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $624 in Surinam versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Surinam but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Surinam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Surinam?
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 Surinam safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Surinam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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