Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $847 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$847

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bintulu and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bintulu and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $847 in Bintulu versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Bintulu $847
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,320 in Bintulu versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Bintulu $1,320
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,793 in Bintulu versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Bintulu $1,793
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Bintulu costs roughly 65% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bintulu is 37% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 MYR 15.53

$17.94 €15.96

-78.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.38 MYR 75.0

$68.1 €60.5

-72.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 MYR 23.67

$13.28 €11.81

-56.33%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.67

$3.25 €2.89

-12.00%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.62

$3.01 €2.67

-78.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.65

$1.87 €1.66

-78.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MYR 12.08

$3.85 €3.42

-23.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 MYR 21.26

$4.48 €3.98

16.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$1.29 €1.15

61.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 MYR 5.52

$2.04 €1.81

-33.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.56

$1.72 €1.53

-20.93%

Eggs

$2.29 MYR 9.33

$4.77 €4.24

-51.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.15 MYR 70.0

$16.77 €14.92

2.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 MYR 14.25

$8.93 €7.94

-60.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.89 MYR 24.01

$19.88 €17.68

-70.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$2.98 €2.65

-43.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 MYR 3.93

$2.03 €1.80

-52.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$2.73 €2.43

-38.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 MYR 4.53

$2.68 €2.38

-58.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 MYR 2.27

$2.10 €1.87

-73.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$2.08 €1.85

-42.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$1.45 €1.29

-51.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.70

$0.89 €0.79

-52.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 17.45

$6.94 €6.17

-38.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.32 MYR 78.8

$7.78 €6.92

148.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.25

$1.45 €1.29

106.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MYR 8.20

$2.57 €2.29

-21.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 MYR 5.12

$2.99 €2.66

-57.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.40 MYR 66.9

$25.20 €22.41

-34.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 MYR 3.80

$3.12 €2.77

-70.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 MYR 3.36

$1.44 €1.28

-43.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 MYR 10.11

$33.50 €29.80

-92.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 MYR 2.51

$1.79 €1.59

-65.36%

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

$44.4K MYR 181.3K

$34.6K €30.8K

28.30%

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

$39.9K MYR 162.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

32.68%

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

$59.5 MYR 243

$178 €158

-66.52%

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

$32.31 MYR 132

$13.32 €11.85

142.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.15 MYR 123

$34.88 €31.03

-13.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 MYR 279

$53.3 €47.37

28.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.33 MYR 50.3

$16.01 €14.24

-22.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 MYR 17.74

$11.06 €9.84

-60.67%

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

$128 MYR 524

$957 €851

-86.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,275 MYR 29.7K

$16.6K €14.7K

-56.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 MYR 263

$88.2 €78.4

-26.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.91 MYR 142

$39.49 €35.12

-11.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 MYR 322

$103 €91.5

-23.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 MYR 376

$121 €108

-24.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 MYR 882

$1,653 €1,470

-86.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 MYR 639

$1,302 €1,158

-87.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 MYR 1,939

$2,557 €2,275

-81.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 MYR 1,356

$1,915 €1,703

-82.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,716 MYR 7,000

$7,286 €6,481

-76.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 MYR 4,632

$5,080 €4,519

-77.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$606 MYR 2,473

$2,281 €2,029

-73.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

3.28

37.20%

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

Last update for Bintulu: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bintulu

$231 27.3%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 38.3% $89

Accommodation & Living

Bintulu

$157 18.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 731% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bintulu

$122 14.4%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 85.3% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Bintulu

$122 14.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 30.1% $37

Eating Out

Bintulu

$112 13.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 142% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Bintulu

$77 9.1%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 2.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Bintulu

$26 3.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 79.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $216 in Bintulu and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 276% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $18.00 in Bintulu vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $320 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

6 h behind Bintulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,172

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bintulu Barcelona 11,490 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Bintulu
Barcelona

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

Bintulu vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu and Barcelona differ by about 183% in total monthly costs ($847 vs $2,399 including rent). Bintulu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 276% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $216 in Bintulu versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $128 in Bintulu versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $847 in Bintulu versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bintulu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bintulu 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, Bintulu and Barcelona 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 Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 183% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.