Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tawau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $920 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Tawau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $920 in Tawau.

Barcelona $2,443
Tawau $920

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,420 in Tawau.

Barcelona $3,519
Tawau $1,420

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,921 in Tawau.

Barcelona $4,595
Tawau $1,921

Living in Barcelona is roughly 166% more expensive than in Tawau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Tawau is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.72

$3.26 MYR 13.20

441.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$20.02 MYR 81.0

237.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$4.20 MYR 16.97

224.05%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$3.19 MYR 12.91

-2.82%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.97 MYR 3.92

209.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.35 MYR 1.42

451.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.63 MYR 10.65

46.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$4.64 MYR 18.75

-6.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.76 MYR 7.14

-28.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.13 MYR 4.57

87.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.49 MYR 6.03

32.21%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$2.16 MYR 8.74

120.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$15.38 MYR 62.2

10.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$4.49 MYR 18.15

99.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$9.43 MYR 38.14

118.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.87 MYR 11.59

10.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.60 MYR 6.49

23.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.23 MYR 9.03

18.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.73 MYR 7.00

66.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.40 MYR 5.68

47.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.22 MYR 4.92

78.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.19 MYR 4.81

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.51 MYR 2.08

90.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$4.51 MYR 18.24

54.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$19.08 MYR 77.2

-58.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.89 MYR 11.70

-50.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.92 MYR 19.90

-45.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.77 MYR 3.12

329.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.80

$11.72 MYR 47.38

118.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.25 MYR 5.06

146.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.56 MYR 2.27

164.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.27

$5.37 MYR 21.73

512.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.81 MYR 3.29

130.86%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$45.3K MYR 183.0K

-27.15%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$35.9K MYR 145.0K

-10.90%

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

$183 €163

$50.6 MYR 205

261.51%

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

$14.24 €12.68

$10.23 MYR 41.38

39.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.78

$28.43 MYR 115

21.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.79

$42.70 MYR 173

20.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.59

$6.07 MYR 24.56

169.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$3.63 MYR 14.68

204.68%

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

$944 €840

$240 MYR 971

292.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$10.5K MYR 42.5K

111.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$54.3 MYR 220

61.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.52

$40.23 MYR 163

-3.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$90.8 MYR 367

15.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$79.9 MYR 323

47.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,511

$433 MYR 1,752

291.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$275 MYR 1,113

385.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,397

$783 MYR 3,166

243.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,849

$526 MYR 2,128

294.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,371

$1,980 MYR 8,007

261.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,522

$1,030 MYR 4,165

393.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,996

$412 MYR 1,666

444.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.17

-23.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tawau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Tawau

$275 30% 79.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Tawau

$262 28.5% 20.1% $66

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Tawau

$105 11.4% 60.8% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Tawau

$89 9.7% 61.5% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Tawau

$119 13% 23.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Tawau

$50 5.4% 32.1% $24

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Tawau

$19 2.1% 61.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $433 in Tawau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $20 in Tawau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $262 per month, with Tawau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

14:02 2:02 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

420,806

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Tawau 11,790 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Tawau

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 Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $920 in Tawau, so Tawau is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 5.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $433 in Tawau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $240 in Tawau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Tawau is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Tawau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tawau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.