Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibu and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $905 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $905 in Sibu versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Sibu $905
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,406 in Sibu versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Sibu $1,406
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,906 in Sibu versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Sibu $1,906
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Sibu costs roughly 63% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sibu is 34% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 MYR 9.14

$17.59 €15.76

-87.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 MYR 77.9

$67.5 €60.5

-71.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 17.14

$13.53 €12.12

-68.74%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.31

$3.19 €2.86

-27.90%

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

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$2.91 €2.61

-79.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$1.89 €1.70

-87.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 MYR 11.60

$4.01 €3.59

-28.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.08

$4.53 €4.06

-1.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.14

$1.31 €1.17

34.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$2.02 €1.81

-56.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.37

$1.85 €1.66

-28.11%

Eggs

$2.18 MYR 8.82

$4.83 €4.33

-54.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.35 MYR 54.1

$16.74 €15.00

-20.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$9.12 €8.17

-46.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 MYR 40.23

$19.64 €17.60

-49.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 11.60

$2.98 €2.67

-4.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 MYR 7.35

$2.02 €1.81

-10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 MYR 9.58

$2.70 €2.42

-12.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.86

$2.80 €2.51

-39.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.59

$2.09 €1.87

-33.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.40

$2.07 €1.85

-35.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MYR 4.28

$1.46 €1.31

-27.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.94 €0.84

-40.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.18

$6.87 €6.16

-34.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.27 MYR 78.1

$7.89 €7.07

144.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.23

$1.41 €1.26

114.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.71

$2.54 €2.27

81.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$3.14 €2.82

-74.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.49 MYR 46.59

$25.45 €22.80

-54.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$2.99 €2.68

-65.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$1.49 €1.34

-59.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 MYR 29.47

$33.37 €29.91

-78.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.51

$1.80 €1.61

-51.67%

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

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

$33.2K €29.7K

37.15%

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

$36.2K MYR 146.6K

$31.7K €28.4K

14.04%

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

$48.91 MYR 198

$180 €162

-72.89%

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

$7.37 MYR 29.86

$13.84 €12.40

-46.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 MYR 106

$33.70 €30.20

-22.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.13 MYR 110

$51.5 €46.16

-47.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.38 MYR 25.88

$15.96 €14.30

-60.03%

Cinema Ticket

$3.72 MYR 15.10

$10.99 €9.85

-66.15%

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

$243 MYR 984

$917 €821

-73.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

$16.5K €14.8K

-58.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 MYR 228

$87.0 €78.0

-35.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 MYR 148

$38.51 €34.51

-5.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 MYR 281

$106 €94.8

-34.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 MYR 317

$120 €107

-34.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 MYR 1,579

$1,699 €1,523

-77.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 MYR 1,288

$1,355 €1,214

-76.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,828

$2,603 €2,332

-73.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 MYR 2,552

$2,062 €1,848

-69.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,136 MYR 8,660

$6,915 €6,196

-69.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MYR 4,723

$5,128 €4,595

-77.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 MYR 1,974

$2,211 €1,981

-77.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.28

23.78%

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

Last update for Sibu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sibu

$318 35.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 327% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Sibu

$258 28.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 24.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Sibu

$108 11.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 46.3% $50

Eating Out

Sibu

$85 9.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 216% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibu

$82 9.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 176% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Sibu

$35 3.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 113% $39

Getting Around

Sibu

$19 2.1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 158% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $390 in Sibu and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Sibu vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $322 per month, with Sibu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sibu

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

08:31 8:31 AM

7 h behind Sibu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,239

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sibu Barcelona 11,460 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sibu
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

Sibu vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $905 in Sibu and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Sibu is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Sibu. 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: $390 in Sibu versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $243 in Sibu 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 25% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sibu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Sibu and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sibu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.