Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machakos and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Machakos: $520 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
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Machakos Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $520 in Machakos versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Machakos $520
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $802 in Machakos versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Machakos $802
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,084 in Machakos versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Machakos $1,084
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Machakos costs roughly 79% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Machakos is 62% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.99 KES 389

$17.59 €15.69

-83.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.26 KES 2,500

$67.5 €60.2

-71.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 KES 812

$13.53 €12.07

-53.73%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 255

$3.19 €2.85

-38.24%

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

$0.66 KES 85.4

$2.91 €2.60

-77.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 KES 69.6

$1.89 €1.69

-71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 KES 281

$4.01 €3.58

-46.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 KES 346

$4.53 €4.04

-41.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.39 KES 50.9

$1.31 €1.16

-70.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 KES 62.7

$2.02 €1.80

-76.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 KES 104

$1.85 €1.65

-56.76%

Eggs

$1.36 KES 177

$4.83 €4.31

-71.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 KES 1,413

$16.74 €14.93

-34.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.36 KES 826

$9.12 €8.14

-30.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.71 KES 612

$19.64 €17.52

-76.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 KES 195

$2.98 €2.66

-49.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 KES 105

$2.02 €1.80

-59.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.37 KES 47.49

$2.70 €2.41

-86.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.40 KES 51.6

$2.80 €2.50

-85.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 KES 102

$2.09 €1.86

-62.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 KES 98.6

$2.07 €1.85

-63.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 KES 97.6

$1.46 €1.30

-48.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 KES 51.1

$0.94 €0.84

-58.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 KES 455

$6.87 €6.13

-48.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 KES 1,468

$7.89 €7.04

43.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 KES 248

$1.41 €1.25

35.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 KES 351

$2.54 €2.26

6.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 KES 96.4

$2.99 €2.67

-75.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 KES 97.8

$1.49 €1.33

-49.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 KES 371

$33.37 €29.78

-91.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 KES 195

$1.80 €1.60

-16.67%

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

$19.1K KES 2.5M

$33.2K €29.6K

-42.39%

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

$21.7K KES 2.8M

$31.7K €28.3K

-31.46%

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

$57.0 KES 7,396

$180 €161

-68.42%

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

$7.83 KES 1,017

$13.84 €12.35

-43.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.58 KES 1,503

$33.70 €30.06

-65.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.98 KES 5,060

$51.5 €45.96

-24.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 KES 994

$10.99 €9.81

-30.30%

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

$45.51 KES 5,907

$917 €818

-95.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K KES 1.6M

$16.5K €14.7K

-25.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.62 KES 1,509

$87.0 €77.7

-86.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 KES 3,698

$38.51 €34.35

-26.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 KES 8,923

$106 €94.4

-35.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.19 KES 4,956

$120 €107

-68.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$94.2 KES 12.2K

$1,699 €1,516

-94.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.4 KES 9,132

$1,355 €1,209

-94.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$155 KES 20.1K

$2,603 €2,322

-94.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.1K

$2,062 €1,840

-94.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$385 KES 50.0K

$2,211 €1,972

-82.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

3.28

348.48%

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

Last update for Machakos: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Machakos

$161 31%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 99.9% $161

Eating Out

Machakos

$87 16.8%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 207% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machakos

$76 14.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 198% $152

Accommodation & Living

Machakos

$70 13.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 1826% $1.3K

Clothing & Footwear

Machakos

$66 12.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 139% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Machakos

$54 10.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 35.4% $19

Getting Around

Machakos

$4.5 * 0.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 975% $44

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 $94 in Machakos and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Machakos vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $161 vs $322 per month, with Machakos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Machakos

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

18:33 6:33 PM

2 h behind Machakos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,109

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Machakos Barcelona 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Machakos
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

Machakos vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $520 in Machakos and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Machakos is about 79% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Machakos. 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: $94 in Machakos versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $46 in Machakos versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Machakos – a meal for two runs $19 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $520 in Machakos versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Machakos but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Machakos 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, Machakos and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Machakos wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.