Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karaganda and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $929 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
Learn more

Karaganda Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$929

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $929 in Karaganda versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Karaganda $929
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,500 in Karaganda versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Karaganda $1,500
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,071 in Karaganda versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Karaganda $2,071
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Karaganda costs roughly 62% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karaganda is 32% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.84 ₸4,462

$17.59 €15.75

-44.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.89 ₸15.8K

$67.5 €60.5

-48.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 ₸2,585

$13.53 €12.12

-57.87%

Cappuccino

$1.99 ₸902

$3.19 €2.86

-37.62%

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

$0.86 ₸390

$2.91 €2.61

-70.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₸269

$1.89 €1.70

-68.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ₸612

$4.01 €3.59

-66.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ₸1,327

$4.53 €4.06

-35.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ₸584

$1.31 €1.17

-1.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₸204

$2.02 €1.81

-77.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 ₸599

$1.85 €1.66

-28.65%

Eggs

$1.85 ₸841

$4.83 €4.33

-61.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 ₸6,132

$16.74 €14.99

-19.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 ₸2,404

$9.12 €8.17

-41.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.34 ₸5,143

$19.64 €17.59

-42.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 ₸665

$2.98 €2.67

-50.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 ₸873

$2.02 €1.81

-4.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ₸1,307

$2.70 €2.42

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 ₸987

$2.80 €2.51

-22.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ₸277

$2.09 €1.87

-70.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$2.07 €1.85

-73.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₸462

$1.46 €1.31

-30.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₸338

$0.94 €0.84

-20.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 ₸977

$6.87 €6.15

-68.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 ₸3,687

$7.89 €7.06

3.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ₸639

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₸984

$2.54 €2.27

-14.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₸104

$3.14 €2.82

-92.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.38 ₸6,976

$25.45 €22.79

-39.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₸540

$2.99 €2.68

-60.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 ₸562

$1.49 €1.34

-16.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 ₸1,502

$33.37 €29.89

-90.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 ₸252

$1.80 €1.61

-69.44%

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

$22.0K ₸10.0M

$33.2K €29.7K

-33.73%

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

$32.2K ₸14.6M

$31.7K €28.4K

1.60%

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

$72.2 ₸32.8K

$180 €162

-59.96%

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

$10.00 ₸4,537

$13.84 €12.39

-27.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.87 ₸5,383

$33.70 €30.18

-64.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 ₸20.9K

$51.5 €46.13

-10.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 ₸8,312

$15.96 €14.29

14.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.35 ₸2,426

$10.99 €9.85

-51.32%

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

$135 ₸61.4K

$917 €821

-85.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ₸27.0K

$87.0 €77.9

-31.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.9 ₸26.7K

$38.51 €34.49

52.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₸34.7K

$106 €94.8

-27.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 ₸39.5K

$120 €107

-27.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 ₸181.5K

$1,699 €1,522

-76.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ₸123.8K

$1,355 €1,214

-79.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₸325.9K

$2,603 €2,331

-72.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 ₸247.5K

$2,062 €1,847

-73.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 ₸477.9K

$6,915 €6,193

-84.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$720 ₸326.6K

$5,128 €4,592

-85.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$582 ₸263.9K

$2,211 €1,980

-73.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.25

3.28

486.89%

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

Last update for Karaganda: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karaganda

$273 29.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 396% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Karaganda

$216 23.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 49% $106

Eating Out

Karaganda

$138 14.9%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 94.1% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Karaganda

$127 13.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 24.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karaganda

$94 10.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 142% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Karaganda

$57 6.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 29.4% $17

Getting Around

Karaganda

$24 2.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 105% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $400 in Karaganda and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Karaganda vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $322 per month, with Karaganda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

17:14 5:14 PM

4 h behind Karaganda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,486

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 454 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karaganda Barcelona 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Karaganda
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

Karaganda vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $929 in Karaganda and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Karaganda is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Karaganda. 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: $400 in Karaganda versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $135 in Karaganda versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $929 in Karaganda versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karaganda but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Karaganda 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.

Expats usually find Karaganda 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.