Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazar-i-Sharif and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $291 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$291

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $291 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Mazar-i-Sharif $291
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $459 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Mazar-i-Sharif $459
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $628 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Mazar-i-Sharif $628
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Mazar-i-Sharif costs roughly 88% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mazar-i-Sharif is 79% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.33 ؋152

$17.59 €15.80

-86.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.33 ؋995

$67.5 €60.6

-77.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ؋255

$13.53 €12.15

-71.03%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 ؋512

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 ؋485

Cappuccino

$1.23 ؋79.7

$3.19 €2.87

-61.44%

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

$0.54 ؋34.75

$2.91 €2.62

-81.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.44

$1.89 €1.70

-84.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ؋39.02

$1.31 €1.17

-54.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.17 ؋10.77

$2.02 €1.81

-91.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 ؋136

$1.85 €1.66

13.51%

Eggs

$1.59 ؋103

$4.83 €4.34

-67.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.58 ؋492

$16.74 €15.03

-54.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 ؋226

$9.12 €8.19

-61.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.30 ؋409

$19.64 €17.64

-67.92%

Apples (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.88

$2.98 €2.68

-81.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 ؋72.7

$2.02 €1.81

-44.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 ؋54.1

$2.70 €2.43

-69.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.69

$2.80 €2.52

-78.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.95

$2.09 €1.87

-77.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ؋26.78

$2.07 €1.86

-80.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ؋36.47

$1.46 €1.31

-61.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.41

$0.94 €0.84

-68.09%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋122

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 ؋98.8

$6.87 €6.17

-77.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 ؋49.06

$3.14 €2.82

-75.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ؋98.3

$33.37 €29.98

-95.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ؋98.7

$1.80 €1.61

-15.56%

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

$10.1K ؋653.8K

$33.2K €29.8K

-69.67%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

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

$81.5 ؋5,289

$180 €162

-54.85%

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

$17.03 ؋1,106

$13.84 €12.43

23.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.75 ؋763

$51.5 €46.27

-77.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ؋246

$15.96 €14.34

-76.32%

Cinema Ticket

$4.61 ؋299

$10.99 €9.88

-58.05%

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

$76.8 ؋4,988

$917 €823

-91.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.11 ؋851

$87.0 €78.2

-84.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.61 ؋1,209

$120 €108

-84.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$228 ؋14.8K

$2,211 €1,986

-89.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Groceries & Markets

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Eating Out

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Barcelona

$74 3%

Getting Around

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cost Breakdown

Barcelona pays about 9.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $105 vs $322 per month, with Mazar-i-Sharif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

02:26 2:26 AM

3 h 30 min behind Mazar-i-Sharif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,600

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 64.94 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.29 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mazar-i-Sharif Barcelona 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mazar-i-Sharif
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

Mazar-i-Sharif vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $291 in Mazar-i-Sharif and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Mazar-i-Sharif is about 88% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Mazar-i-Sharif. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $77 in Mazar-i-Sharif 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 Mazar-i-Sharif – a meal for two runs $15 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $291 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mazar-i-Sharif but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mazar-i-Sharif 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.

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