Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makhachkala and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,009 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,009 in Makhachkala versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Makhachkala $1,009
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,562 in Makhachkala versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Makhachkala $1,562
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,115 in Makhachkala versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Makhachkala $2,115
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Makhachkala 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: Makhachkala is 25% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.20 ₽851

$17.94 €15.96

-43.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.73 ₽2,648

$68.1 €60.5

-53.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.48 ₽457

$13.28 €11.81

-58.73%

Cappuccino

$2.65 ₽221

$3.25 €2.89

-18.46%

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

$1.17 ₽98.0

$3.01 €2.67

-61.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₽51.1

$1.87 €1.66

-67.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 ₽162

$3.85 €3.42

-49.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₽246

$4.48 €3.98

-34.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 ₽91.6

$1.29 €1.15

-14.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 ₽58.9

$2.04 €1.81

-65.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ₽118

$1.72 €1.53

-18.02%

Eggs

$1.53 ₽127

$4.77 €4.24

-67.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 ₽917

$16.77 €14.92

-34.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.39 ₽450

$8.93 €7.94

-39.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ₽921

$19.88 €17.68

-44.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ₽142

$2.98 €2.65

-42.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$2.03 €1.80

-13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$2.73 €2.43

-35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 ₽232

$2.68 €2.38

3.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ₽67.4

$2.10 €1.87

-61.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₽51.1

$2.08 €1.85

-70.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ₽103

$1.45 €1.29

-15.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₽61.8

$0.89 €0.79

-16.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₽278

$6.94 €6.17

-52.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 ₽661

$7.78 €6.92

1.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₽91.4

$1.45 €1.29

-24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₽168

$2.57 €2.29

-21.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₽44.80

$2.99 €2.66

-81.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 ₽225

$3.12 €2.77

-13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ₽33.48

$1.44 €1.28

-72.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 ₽477

$33.50 €29.80

-82.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₽70.2

$1.79 €1.59

-53.07%

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

$41.0K ₽3.4M

$34.6K €30.8K

18.30%

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

$37.4K ₽3.1M

$30.1K €26.7K

24.23%

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

$110 ₽9,172

$178 €158

-38.21%

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

$5.49 ₽458

$13.32 €11.85

-58.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.44 ₽705

$34.88 €31.03

-75.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.62 ₽2,973

$53.3 €47.37

-33.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.57 ₽1,967

$16.01 €14.24

47.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.13 ₽512

$11.06 €9.84

-44.58%

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

$348 ₽29.1K

$957 €851

-63.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,288 ₽441.3K

$16.6K €14.7K

-68.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 ₽6,688

$88.2 €78.4

-9.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 ₽4,518

$39.49 €35.12

37.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₽8,539

$103 €91.5

-0.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ₽9,353

$121 €108

-7.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 ₽38.4K

$1,653 €1,470

-72.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ₽26.3K

$1,302 €1,158

-75.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 ₽74.4K

$2,557 €2,275

-65.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 ₽46.4K

$1,915 €1,703

-70.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ₽185.8K

$7,286 €6,481

-69.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,492 ₽124.5K

$5,080 €4,519

-70.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$622 ₽51.9K

$2,281 €2,029

-72.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.45

3.28

553.96%

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

Last update for Makhachkala: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makhachkala

$315 31.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 313% $987

Groceries & Markets

Makhachkala

$206 20.4%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 55.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Makhachkala

$157 15.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 0.9% $1.5

Eating Out

Makhachkala

$153 15.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 77% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makhachkala

$124 12.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 82.6% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Makhachkala

$48 4.8%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 57.4% $27

Getting Around

Makhachkala

$6.9 * 0.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 593% $41

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 $460 in Makhachkala and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 267% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Makhachkala vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $320 per month, with Makhachkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

1 h behind Makhachkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

604,266

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Makhachkala Barcelona 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Makhachkala
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Makhachkala vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makhachkala and Barcelona differ by about 138% in total monthly costs ($1,009 vs $2,399 including rent). Makhachkala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 267% lower in Barcelona. 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: $460 in Makhachkala versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $348 in Makhachkala versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Makhachkala – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,009 in Makhachkala versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Makhachkala but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Makhachkala 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, Makhachkala 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 Makhachkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.