Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Barcelona

🙂 Solo nomad: Kota Kinabalu is 40.9% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 63.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 33.9% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 58.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kota Kinabalu
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.47 MYR 14.62
$17.41 €15.03
-80.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.14 MYR 80.7
$68.7 €59.3
-72.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.79 MYR 20.2
$13.71 €11.84
-65.06%
Cappuccino
$2.64 MYR 11.14
$2.78 €2.4
-5.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 MYR 2.72
$2.8 €2.42
-77.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 MYR 1.56
$1.98 €1.71
-81.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.3 MYR 9.71
$4.43 €3.83
-48.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 MYR 14.55
$4.53 €3.91
-23.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kota Kinabalu
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 MYR 7.29
$1.24 €1.07
39.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.18 MYR 5
$2.03 €1.75
-41.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 MYR 7.28
$1.98 €1.71
-12.63%
Eggs
$2.89 MYR 12.18
$3.46 €2.99
-16.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.25 MYR 111
$18.32 €15.82
43.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.51 MYR 14.82
$9.82 €8.47
-64.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.11 MYR 29.99
$19.24 €16.61
-63.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.55 MYR 10.75
$2.61 €2.25
-2.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.14 MYR 4.79
$2.34 €2.02
-51.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.3 MYR 13.91
$2.11 €1.82
56.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.01 MYR 8.5
$2.77 €2.39
-27.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 MYR 6.18
$2.04 €1.76
-27.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 MYR 7.45
$1.77 €1.53
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 MYR 4.7
$1.5 €1.3
-26.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.47 MYR 1.98
$0.85 €0.73
-44.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.04 MYR 17.04
$7 €6.04
-42.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.72 MYR 79
$7.13 €6.16
162.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.84 MYR 7.77
$1.43 €1.24
28.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MYR 6.78
$2.29 €1.98
-29.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Kota Kinabalu
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 MYR 6.27
$3.02 €2.6
-50.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.22 MYR 170
$28.97 €25.01
38.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 MYR 8.09
$4.59 €3.96
-58.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 MYR 1.82
$2.02 €1.74
-78.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.79 MYR 24.43
$29.56 €25.53
-80.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.46 MYR 1.93
$1.81 €1.56
-74.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.6K MYR 124.7K
$38.4K €33.1K
-22.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.7K MYR 116.9K
$32.4K €28K
-14.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kota Kinabalu
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.2 MYR 216
$190 €164
-73.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.97 MYR 37.84
$22.18 €19.15
-59.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.43 MYR 141
$36.37 €31.4
-8.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kota Kinabalu
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.94 MYR 185
$57.4 €49.55
-23.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$2.98 MYR 12.57
$20.95 €18.09
-85.78%
Cinema Ticket
$4.58 MYR 19.33
$10.8 €9.33
-57.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kota Kinabalu
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$129 MYR 544
$732 €632
-82.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,457 MYR 18.8K
$15.1K €13.1K
-70.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kota Kinabalu
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.6 MYR 255
$86.8 €74.9
-30.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.48 MYR 94.8
$36.78 €31.76
-38.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.1 MYR 300
$102 €88.2
-30.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94 MYR 396
$117 €101
-19.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kota Kinabalu
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 MYR 1,598
$1,581 €1,365
-76.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$168 MYR 709
$1,230 €1,062
-86.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$648 MYR 2,735
$2,707 €2,337
-76.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$366 MYR 1,544
$2,028 €1,751
-81.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,364 MYR 5,754
$6,602 €5,700
-79.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,139 MYR 4,804
$5,045 €4,356
-77.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kota Kinabalu
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$551 MYR 2,325
$2,198 €1,898
-74.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.8
3.39
12.09%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 27, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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