Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malang and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Malang: $464 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Malang
Learn more

Malang Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Malang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$464

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $464 in Malang versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Malang $464
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $713 in Malang versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Malang $713
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $963 in Malang versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Malang $963
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Malang costs roughly 81% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Malang is 66% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

$17.59 €15.75

-93.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.09 Rp 201.0K

$67.5 €60.5

-83.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.80 Rp 50.8K

$13.53 €12.12

-79.31%

Cappuccino

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

$3.19 €2.86

-60.82%

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

$0.56 Rp 10.1K

$2.91 €2.61

-80.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 Rp 3,802

$1.89 €1.70

-88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 Rp 40.6K

$4.01 €3.59

-44.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 Rp 75.5K

$4.53 €4.06

-7.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

$1.31 €1.17

-28.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 Rp 19.4K

$2.02 €1.81

-47.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

$1.85 €1.66

-58.38%

Eggs

$1.17 Rp 21.2K

$4.83 €4.33

-75.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.60 Rp 101.5K

$16.74 €14.99

-66.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.00 Rp 54.4K

$9.12 €8.17

-67.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.89 Rp 124.8K

$19.64 €17.59

-64.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 Rp 35.9K

$2.98 €2.67

-33.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

$2.02 €1.81

-36.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.4K

$2.70 €2.42

-44.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 Rp 25.2K

$2.80 €2.51

-50.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

$2.09 €1.87

-37.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

$2.07 €1.85

-7.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 Rp 8,978

$1.46 €1.31

-65.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,648

$0.94 €0.84

-55.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.57 Rp 46.6K

$6.87 €6.15

-62.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.41 Rp 224.9K

$7.89 €7.06

57.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 Rp 29.9K

$1.41 €1.26

17.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.9K

$2.54 €2.27

12.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 Rp 10.5K

$3.14 €2.82

-81.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.39 Rp 97.6K

$25.45 €22.79

-78.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,908

$2.99 €2.68

-83.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 Rp 6,860

$1.49 €1.34

-74.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.61 Rp 101.6K

$33.37 €29.89

-83.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$1.80 €1.61

-59.44%

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

$25.1K Rp 454.7M

$33.2K €29.7K

-24.39%

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

$27.4K Rp 496.8M

$31.7K €28.4K

-13.52%

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

$30.88 Rp 559.6K

$180 €162

-82.88%

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

$2.30 Rp 41.7K

$13.84 €12.39

-83.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.26 Rp 349.0K

$33.70 €30.18

-42.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.37 Rp 260.4K

$51.5 €46.13

-72.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.58 Rp 82.9K

$15.96 €14.29

-71.30%

Cinema Ticket

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$10.99 €9.85

-82.89%

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

$30.06 Rp 544.7K

$917 €821

-96.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,230 Rp 167.2M

$16.5K €14.8K

-43.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 Rp 1.0M

$87.0 €77.9

-35.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.42 Rp 406.2K

$38.51 €34.49

-41.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.8 Rp 920.8K

$106 €94.8

-51.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.21 Rp 637.9K

$120 €107

-70.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 Rp 2.5M

$1,699 €1,522

-91.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.5 Rp 1.6M

$1,355 €1,214

-93.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 Rp 3.5M

$2,603 €2,331

-92.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 Rp 2.8M

$2,062 €1,847

-92.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$201 Rp 3.6M

$2,211 €1,980

-90.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

21.95%

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

Last update for Malang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malang

$165 35.5%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 95.6% $157

Accommodation & Living

Malang

$89 19.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 1415% $1.3K

Clothing & Footwear

Malang

$74 15.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 114% $84

Eating Out

Malang

$55 11.9%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 387% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malang

$52 11.3%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 335% $176

Sport & Entertainment

Malang

$18 3.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 305% $55

Getting Around

Malang

$10 2.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 380% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $136 in Malang and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Malang vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $322 per month, with Malang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Malang

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

14:40 2:40 PM

6 h behind Malang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

857,891

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

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

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malang Barcelona 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Malang
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

Malang vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $464 in Malang and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Malang is about 81% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 91% lower in Malang. 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: $136 in Malang versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $30 in Malang 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 96% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $464 in Malang versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Malang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Malang 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, Malang and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Malang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.