Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Chang and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Chang: $1,021 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Koh Chang, Thailand
Barcelona, Spain
Koh Chang
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,021
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,021 in Koh Chang versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

  • Koh Chang $1,021
  • Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,720 in Koh Chang versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

  • Koh Chang $1,720
  • Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,418 in Koh Chang versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

  • Koh Chang $2,418
  • Barcelona $4,564

Living in Koh Chang costs roughly 58% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koh Chang is 25% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Koh Chang
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.47 ฿117
$17.59 €15.76
-80.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.30 ฿888
$67.5 €60.5
-61.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.04 ฿238
$13.53 €12.12
-47.97%
Cappuccino
$2.18 ฿73.5
$3.19 €2.86
-31.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 ฿25.33
$2.91 €2.61
-74.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ฿12.35
$1.89 €1.70
-80.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.00 ฿67.7
$4.01 €3.59
-50.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 ฿101
$4.53 €4.06
-33.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Koh Chang
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 ฿50.0
$1.31 €1.17
12.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 ฿42.31
$2.02 €1.81
-38.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.37 ฿46.39
$1.85 €1.66
-25.95%
Eggs
$1.89 ฿63.7
$4.83 €4.33
-60.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.29 ฿584
$16.74 €15.00
3.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.05 ฿103
$9.12 €8.17
-66.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.19 ฿344
$19.64 €17.60
-48.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.68 ฿90.6
$2.98 €2.67
-10.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.7
$2.02 €1.81
-24.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.95 ฿65.9
$2.70 €2.42
-27.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.85 ฿62.4
$2.80 €2.51
-33.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 ฿43.65
$2.09 €1.87
-38.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 ฿41.72
$2.07 €1.85
-40.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 ฿34.04
$1.46 €1.31
-30.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.94 €0.84
-47.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.77 ฿127
$6.87 €6.16
-45.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.75 ฿565
$7.89 €7.07
112.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 ฿52.7
$1.41 €1.26
10.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 ฿83.0
$2.54 €2.27
-3.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Koh Chang
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 ฿40.91
$3.14 €2.82
-61.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.34 ฿1,294
$25.45 €22.80
50.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.43 ฿81.9
$2.99 €2.68
-18.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ฿28.77
$1.49 €1.34
-42.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$33.37 €29.91
-91.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 ฿38.48
$1.80 €1.61
-36.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K ฿733.1K
$33.2K €29.7K
-34.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.9K ฿707.0K
$31.7K €28.4K
-33.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Chang
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.6 ฿3,191
$180 €162
-47.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.67 ฿360
$13.84 €12.40
-22.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.02 ฿541
$33.70 €30.20
-52.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Koh Chang
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.0 ฿1,957
$51.5 €46.16
12.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.00 ฿304
$15.96 €14.30
-43.61%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$10.99 €9.85
-40.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Koh Chang
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$422 ฿14.3K
$917 €821
-53.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.2K ฿343.5K
$16.5K €14.8K
-38.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Koh Chang
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.3 ฿2,036
$87.0 €78.0
-30.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.66 ฿900
$38.51 €34.51
-30.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.3 ฿3,015
$106 €94.8
-15.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.5 ฿2,751
$120 €107
-31.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Koh Chang
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$469 ฿15.8K
$1,699 €1,523
-72.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$327 ฿11.0K
$1,355 €1,214
-75.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,292 ฿43.6K
$2,603 €2,332
-50.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$917 ฿31.0K
$2,062 €1,848
-55.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,704 ฿91.2K
$6,915 €6,196
-60.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,904 ฿64.3K
$5,128 €4,595
-62.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Koh Chang
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,211 €1,981
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.28
69.82%

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

Last update for Koh Chang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Koh Chang
$327
Barcelona
$1.4K 314% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Koh Chang
$240
Barcelona
$322 33.9% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Chang
$121
Barcelona
$228 88% $107
Clothing & Footwear
Koh Chang
$116
Barcelona
$158 36.2% $42
Eating Out
Koh Chang
$95
Barcelona
$268 181% $172
Sport & Entertainment
Koh Chang
$71
Barcelona
$74 3.6% $2.5
Getting Around
Koh Chang
$50
Barcelona
$48 2.8% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Koh Chang and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26 in Koh Chang vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $322 per month, with Koh Chang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Koh Chang
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
15:09 3:09 PM
09:09 9:09 AM
6 h behind Koh Chang
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,500
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Koh Chang Barcelona 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Koh Chang
  • 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
Koh Chang vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Koh Chang and in Barcelona?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,021 in Koh Chang and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Koh Chang is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Koh Chang compared to Barcelona?
You’d need roughly $1,531 in Koh Chang and $3,679 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Koh Chang and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $469 in Koh Chang versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Koh Chang and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $422 in Koh Chang versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,021 in Koh Chang versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Chang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Chang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Koh Chang and Barcelona?
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 Koh Chang or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Koh Chang and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Koh Chang vs other spots: cost of living compared

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