Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Manila: $922 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$922

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $922 in Manila versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Manila $922
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,531 in Manila versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Manila $1,531
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,140 in Manila versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Manila $2,140
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Manila costs roughly 62% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manila is 32% below, Barcelona is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ₱293

$17.66 €15.73

-73.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.32 ₱1,657

$67.5 €60.1

-60.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.02 ₱253

$13.61 €12.13

-70.46%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.10 €2.76

-19.03%

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

$1.37 ₱86.3

$3.00 €2.67

-54.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱55.9

$1.93 €1.72

-53.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 ₱75.3

$3.84 €3.42

-68.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱148

$4.36 €3.88

-46.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ₱118

$1.25 €1.11

49.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ₱88.7

$2.12 €1.89

-33.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$1.97 €1.76

-48.22%

Eggs

$2.19 ₱138

$4.76 €4.24

-53.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.47 ₱470

$17.07 €15.20

-56.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 ₱306

$8.96 €7.98

-45.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.98 ₱440

$20.65 €18.39

-66.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ₱206

$3.16 €2.82

3.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 ₱114

$1.97 €1.75

-8.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 ₱183

$2.65 €2.36

9.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 ₱120

$2.88 €2.57

-33.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$2.06 €1.83

11.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ₱170

$2.18 €1.94

23.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 ₱137

$1.53 €1.37

42.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₱36.10

$0.97 €0.86

-41.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ₱193

$6.97 €6.21

-55.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.34 ₱588

$7.89 €7.03

18.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.2

$1.42 €1.26

-10.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$2.69 €2.39

-23.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ₱20.80

$3.31 €2.95

-90.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.80 ₱806

$25.61 €22.81

-50.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.79

$3.08 €2.75

-74.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.57

$1.48 €1.32

-86.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱117

$32.87 €29.28

-94.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.5

$1.87 €1.66

-29.95%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$33.0K €29.4K

-37.00%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$31.9K €28.5K

-39.12%

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

$109 ₱6,877

$183 €163

-40.25%

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

$15.71 ₱989

$14.24 €12.69

10.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.58 ₱1,547

$34.56 €30.79

-28.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.75 ₱2,628

$51.4 €45.81

-18.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.84 ₱368

$16.38 €14.60

-64.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 ₱404

$11.06 €9.86

-41.95%

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

$606 ₱38.1K

$944 €841

-35.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,674 ₱483.0K

$22.3K €19.8K

-65.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 ₱3,515

$87.7 €78.1

-36.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.57 ₱1,799

$38.77 €34.54

-26.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 ₱4,338

$105 €93.1

-34.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 ₱3,669

$118 €105

-50.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 ₱33.5K

$1,697 €1,512

-68.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 ₱18.2K

$1,337 €1,191

-78.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,916 ₱120.6K

$2,692 €2,398

-28.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₱49.1K

$2,077 €1,850

-62.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,078 ₱256.7K

$7,155 €6,373

-43.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,432 ₱153.1K

$5,079 €4,524

-52.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ₱31.8K

$2,241 €1,997

-77.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

3.19

132.92%

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

Last update for Manila: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$289 31.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 362% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$219 23.7%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 49.9% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$150 16.2%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 54.9% $82

Eating Out

Manila

$99 10.8%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 169% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$95 10.3%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 64.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$55 5.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 34.8% $19

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Barcelona

$49 2% 211% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $533 in Manila and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Manila vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $219 vs $328 per month, with Manila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

02:25 2:25 AM

7 h behind Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.95 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.66 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manila Barcelona 11,180 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Manila
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

Manila vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $922 in Manila and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Manila is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Manila. 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: $533 in Manila versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $606 in Manila versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $922 in Manila versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Manila but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Manila 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, Manila and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Manila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.