Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semarang and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $593 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$593

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $593 in Semarang versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Semarang $593
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $938 in Semarang versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Semarang $938
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,282 in Semarang versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Semarang $1,282
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Semarang costs roughly 76% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Semarang is 56% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$17.59 €15.80

-92.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.53 Rp 191.3K

$67.5 €60.6

-84.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.04 Rp 55.3K

$13.53 €12.15

-77.53%

Cappuccino

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

$3.19 €2.87

-59.87%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,808

$2.91 €2.62

-85.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 Rp 2,847

$1.89 €1.70

-91.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$4.01 €3.60

-59.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 Rp 59.1K

$4.53 €4.07

-28.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

$1.31 €1.17

-19.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

$2.02 €1.81

-54.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

$1.85 €1.66

-57.30%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$4.83 €4.34

-75.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 70.2K

$16.74 €15.03

-76.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 42.4K

$9.12 €8.19

-74.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 Rp 137.3K

$19.64 €17.64

-61.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.7K

$2.98 €2.68

-34.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$2.02 €1.81

-36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.8K

$2.70 €2.43

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$2.80 €2.52

-47.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$2.09 €1.87

-38.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

$2.07 €1.86

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 Rp 17.0K

$1.46 €1.31

-36.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,359

$0.94 €0.84

-57.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 Rp 34.1K

$6.87 €6.17

-72.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.05 Rp 455.2K

$7.89 €7.08

217.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$1.41 €1.26

16.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$2.54 €2.28

-23.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,816

$3.14 €2.82

-93.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.93 Rp 253.1K

$25.45 €22.86

-45.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,128

$2.99 €2.69

-83.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,331

$1.49 €1.34

-80.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 Rp 48.8K

$33.37 €29.98

-91.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

$1.80 €1.61

-57.22%

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

$24.5K Rp 446.0M

$33.2K €29.8K

-26.07%

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

$32.2K Rp 585.5M

$31.7K €28.5K

1.63%

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

$86.1 Rp 1.6M

$180 €162

-52.26%

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

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$13.84 €12.43

-80.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.96 Rp 344.7K

$33.70 €30.27

-43.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.30 Rp 368.9K

$51.5 €46.27

-60.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 Rp 81.5K

$15.96 €14.34

-71.87%

Cinema Ticket

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

$10.99 €9.88

-79.53%

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

$49.33 Rp 896.6K

$917 €823

-94.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,076 Rp 37.7M

$16.5K €14.8K

-87.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.61 Rp 629.1K

$87.0 €78.2

-60.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 Rp 532.7K

$38.51 €34.59

-23.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

$106 €95.1

-46.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.07 Rp 691.9K

$120 €108

-68.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 Rp 4.1M

$1,699 €1,527

-86.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 Rp 2.5M

$1,355 €1,217

-89.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 Rp 8.7M

$2,603 €2,338

-81.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 Rp 6.9M

$2,062 €1,853

-81.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,223 Rp 22.2M

$6,915 €6,211

-82.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$833 Rp 15.1M

$5,128 €4,606

-83.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$186 Rp 3.4M

$2,211 €1,986

-91.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.82

3.28

168.90%

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

Last update for Semarang: 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

Semarang

$184 31%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 75% $138

Accommodation & Living

Semarang

$136 23%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 894% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semarang

$108 18.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 112% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Semarang

$71 12%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 122% $87

Eating Out

Semarang

$52 8.8%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 413% $216

Sport & Entertainment

Semarang

$25 4.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 196% $49

Getting Around

Semarang

$17 2.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 190% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $226 in Semarang and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Semarang vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $322 per month, with Semarang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Semarang

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

22:35 10:35 PM

6 h behind Semarang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,555,984

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Semarang Barcelona 12,040 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Semarang
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

Semarang vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $593 in Semarang and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Semarang is about 76% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 92% lower in Semarang. 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: $226 in Semarang versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $49 in Semarang 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 75% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $593 in Semarang versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Semarang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Semarang 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.

Expats usually find Semarang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.