Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shymkent and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $808 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$808

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $808 in Shymkent versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Shymkent $808
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,390 in Shymkent versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Shymkent $1,390
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,971 in Shymkent versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Shymkent $1,971
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Shymkent costs roughly 66% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shymkent is 40% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.25 ₸5,086

$17.89 €15.92

-37.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.35 ₸15.1K

$66.2 €58.9

-49.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.50 ₸2,938

$13.69 €12.18

-52.52%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₸1,147

$3.06 €2.72

-16.99%

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

$1.03 ₸467

$3.07 €2.73

-66.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₸246

$1.94 €1.73

-72.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ₸492

$3.87 €3.44

-71.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₸609

$4.61 €4.10

-70.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ₸661

$1.30 €1.16

12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 ₸184

$2.10 €1.87

-80.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ₸811

$1.83 €1.62

-2.19%

Eggs

$1.73 ₸783

$4.62 €4.11

-62.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 ₸4,538

$17.36 €15.44

-42.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 ₸2,376

$9.28 €8.25

-43.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 ₸4,059

$19.83 €17.64

-54.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ₸538

$3.01 €2.68

-60.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 ₸957

$2.03 €1.81

4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 ₸1,166

$2.65 €2.36

-2.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 ₸610

$2.87 €2.55

-52.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ₸250

$2.16 €1.92

-74.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₸184

$2.15 €1.91

-80.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 ₸397

$1.47 €1.31

-40.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸376

$0.88 €0.79

-5.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₸1,114

$6.93 €6.16

-64.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.55 ₸2,057

$7.83 €6.96

-41.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ₸466

$1.39 €1.24

-25.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₸683

$2.63 €2.34

-42.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ₸64.0

$2.91 €2.59

-95.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 ₸395

$3.00 €2.66

-71.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₸156

$1.44 €1.28

-76.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 ₸4,532

$33.20 €29.53

-69.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 ₸291

$1.86 €1.65

-65.59%

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

$27.2K ₸12.3M

$32.3K €28.8K

-15.97%

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

$29.0K ₸13.1M

$31.7K €28.2K

-8.37%

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

$47.29 ₸21.4K

$183 €163

-74.12%

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

$9.60 ₸4,338

$13.61 €12.11

-29.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.79 ₸6,685

$32.93 €29.29

-55.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.82 ₸17.5K

$54.7 €48.65

-29.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.82 ₸3,986

$16.52 €14.70

-46.61%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 ₸2,567

$11.23 €9.99

-49.42%

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

$57.8 ₸26.1K

$954 €849

-93.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.55 ₸17.0K

$86.0 €76.5

-56.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.85 ₸15.3K

$39.11 €34.78

-13.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$187 ₸84.4K

$104 €92.2

80.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.9 ₸23.9K

$119 €106

-55.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 ₸153.0K

$1,695 €1,508

-80.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 ₸92.0K

$1,276 €1,135

-84.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 ₸315.6K

$2,576 €2,291

-72.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 ₸246.2K

$1,922 €1,710

-71.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,104 ₸499.1K

$7,281 €6,477

-84.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$986 ₸445.6K

$5,010 €4,456

-80.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 ₸199.6K

$2,227 €1,981

-80.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

3.28

456.40%

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

Last update for Shymkent: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shymkent

$203 25.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 527% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Shymkent

$185 22.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 75.6% $140

Eating Out

Shymkent

$154 19.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 74.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Shymkent

$140 17.3%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 11.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shymkent

$72 8.9%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 220% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Shymkent

$50 6.2%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 53.8% $27

Getting Around

Shymkent

$3.2 * 0.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 1397% $44

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 $338 in Shymkent and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 404% 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: $33.00 in Shymkent vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $325 per month, with Shymkent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

4 h behind Shymkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,222,055

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

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

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shymkent Barcelona 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Shymkent
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

Shymkent vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shymkent and Barcelona differ by about 195% in total monthly costs ($808 vs $2,381 including rent). Shymkent is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 404% 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: $338 in Shymkent versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $57.8 in Shymkent versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shymkent – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $808 in Shymkent versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent 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, Shymkent 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 Shymkent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 195% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.