Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between General Santos and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in General Santos 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 General Santos and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $628 in General Santos versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

General Santos $628
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,009 in General Santos versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

General Santos $1,009
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,391 in General Santos versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

General Santos $1,391
Barcelona $4,421

Living in General Santos costs roughly 74% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: General Santos is 53% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 ₱213

$17.94 €15.96

-81.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.40 ₱1,725

$68.1 €60.5

-59.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱172

$13.28 €11.81

-79.52%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$3.25 €2.89

-21.23%

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

$0.28 ₱17.41

$3.01 €2.67

-90.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$1.87 €1.66

-86.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱99.3

$3.85 €3.42

-58.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱147

$4.48 €3.98

-47.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.29 €1.15

55.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱68.2

$2.04 €1.81

-47.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱54.7

$1.72 €1.53

-49.42%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱117

$4.77 €4.24

-61.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 ₱402

$16.77 €14.92

-61.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 ₱300

$8.93 €7.94

-46.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 ₱582

$19.88 €17.68

-53.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₱172

$2.98 €2.65

-8.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.2

$2.03 €1.80

-47.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ₱154

$2.73 €2.43

-10.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₱74.6

$2.68 €2.38

-55.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 ₱125

$2.10 €1.87

-5.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 ₱207

$2.08 €1.85

57.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱78.2

$1.45 €1.29

-14.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.60

$0.89 €0.79

-23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₱155

$6.94 €6.17

-64.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱488

$7.78 €6.92

-0.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.5

$1.45 €1.29

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

$2.57 €2.29

-34.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ₱24.37

$2.99 €2.66

-86.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 ₱513

$25.20 €22.41

-67.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.25

$3.12 €2.77

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.79

$1.44 €1.28

-82.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.4

$33.50 €29.80

-97.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₱70.7

$1.79 €1.59

-37.43%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$34.6K €30.8K

-39.74%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$30.1K €26.7K

-36.41%

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

$76.6 ₱4,825

$178 €158

-56.91%

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

$6.53 ₱411

$13.32 €11.85

-50.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.67 ₱1,994

$34.88 €31.03

-9.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 ₱309

$11.06 €9.84

-55.61%

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

$109 ₱6,840

$957 €851

-88.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,532 ₱474.2K

$16.6K €14.7K

-54.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₱3,767

$88.2 €78.4

-32.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.67 ₱1,931

$39.49 €35.12

-22.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ₱4,428

$103 €91.5

-31.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,823

$121 €108

-50.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.0K

$1,653 €1,470

-89.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 ₱7,068

$1,302 €1,158

-91.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₱22.6K

$2,557 €2,275

-85.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ₱15.0K

$1,915 €1,703

-87.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

3.28

153.35%

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

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

General Santos

$199 31.7%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 60.8% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

General Santos

$115 18.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 96.8% $111

Accommodation & Living

General Santos

$112 17.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 1060% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

General Santos

$100 15.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 58.9% $59

Eating Out

General Santos

$81 12.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 235% $189

Getting Around

General Santos

$12 1.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 304% $36

Sport & Entertainment

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 668% $66

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 $174 in General Santos and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in General Santos vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $320 per month, with General Santos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 General Santos

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

6 h behind General Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

697,315

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

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

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

General Santos Barcelona 12,190 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

General Santos
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

General Santos vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

General Santos and Barcelona differ by about 282% in total monthly costs ($628 vs $2,399 including rent). General Santos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $942 in General Santos and $3,599 in Barcelona 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: $174 in General Santos versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in General Santos 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 61% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $628 in General Santos versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in General Santos but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes General Santos 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, General Santos 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 General Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 282% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.