Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between AL Kharj and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $961 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

AL Kharj, Saudi Arabia
Barcelona, Spain
AL Kharj
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$961
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in AL Kharj vs $2,453 in Barcelona, rent included.

  • AL Kharj $961
  • Barcelona $2,453

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in AL Kharj vs $3,509 in Barcelona, rent included.

  • AL Kharj $1,464
  • Barcelona $3,509

A family of three spends $1,966 per month in AL Kharj vs $4,564 in Barcelona, rent included.

  • AL Kharj $1,966
  • Barcelona $4,564

AL Kharj is about 61% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

AL Kharj sits 29% below the global median, while Barcelona is 80% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
AL Kharj
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.79 SAR 17.99
$17.59 €15.75
-72.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.43 SAR 99.2
$67.5 €60.5
-60.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.14 SAR 30.56
$13.53 €12.12
-39.84%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 SAR 8.11
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 SAR 4.94
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.06 SAR 11.49
$3.19 €2.86
-4.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 SAR 3.21
$2.91 €2.61
-70.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 SAR 0.44
$1.89 €1.70
-93.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.01 €3.59
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.53 €4.06
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
AL Kharj
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 SAR 5.58
$1.31 €1.17
13.74%
White Bread (500g)
$0.28 SAR 1.06
$2.02 €1.81
-86.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.44 SAR 9.17
$1.85 €1.66
31.89%
Eggs
$2.12 SAR 7.95
$4.83 €4.33
-56.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.38 SAR 38.95
$16.74 €14.99
-37.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.95 SAR 18.59
$9.12 €8.17
-45.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.09 SAR 49.13
$19.64 €17.59
-33.35%
Apples (1kg)
$1.71 SAR 6.43
$2.98 €2.67
-42.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 SAR 5.15
$2.02 €1.81
-32.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.23 SAR 4.60
$2.70 €2.42
-54.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.38 SAR 5.18
$2.80 €2.51
-50.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 SAR 3.97
$2.09 €1.87
-49.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.05 SAR 3.94
$2.07 €1.85
-49.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.55 SAR 2.05
$1.46 €1.31
-62.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 SAR 2.02
$0.94 €0.84
-42.55%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.20 SAR 8.26
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 SAR 3.91
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 SAR 9.28
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.45 SAR 24.21
$6.87 €6.15
-6.11%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$7.89 €7.06
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.41 €1.26
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.54 €2.27
-
🚌 Getting Around
AL Kharj
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$3.14 €2.82
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.07 SAR 86.6
$25.45 €22.79
-9.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.66 SAR 9.97
$2.99 €2.68
-11.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.51 SAR 1.90
$1.49 €1.34
-65.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.22 SAR 49.59
$33.37 €29.89
-60.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.61 SAR 2.27
$1.80 €1.61
-66.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.6K SAR 100.0K
$33.2K €29.7K
-19.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K SAR 84.3K
$31.7K €28.4K
-29.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
AL Kharj
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$107 SAR 400
$180 €162
-40.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.42 SAR 99.2
$13.84 €12.39
90.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.6 SAR 190
$33.70 €30.18
50.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
AL Kharj
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$72.4 SAR 272
$51.5 €46.13
40.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$40.69 SAR 153
$15.96 €14.29
154.95%
Cinema Ticket
$13.41 SAR 50.3
$10.99 €9.85
22.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
AL Kharj
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$289 SAR 1,084
$917 €821
-68.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,810 SAR 14.3K
$16.5K €14.8K
-76.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
AL Kharj
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 SAR 216
$87.0 €77.9
-33.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 SAR 197
$38.51 €34.49
36.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$46.60 SAR 175
$106 €94.8
-55.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 SAR 296
$120 €107
-34.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
AL Kharj
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$692 SAR 2,597
$1,699 €1,522
-59.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$267 SAR 1,002
$1,355 €1,214
-80.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$590 SAR 2,214
$2,603 €2,331
-77.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 SAR 1,729
$2,062 €1,847
-77.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,915 €6,193
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$5,128 €4,592
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
AL Kharj
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,793 SAR 10.5K
$2,211 €1,980
26.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
3.28
68.90%

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

Last update for AL Kharj: 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
AL Kharj
$267
Barcelona
$1.4K 408% $1.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
AL Kharj
$184
Barcelona
$228 24.1% $44
Groceries & Markets
AL Kharj
$174
Barcelona
$322 85.3% $148
Clothing & Footwear
AL Kharj
$106
Barcelona
$158 49.1% $52
Eating Out
AL Kharj
$103
Barcelona
$268 159% $165
Sport & Entertainment
AL Kharj
$99
Barcelona
$74 25.9% $26
Getting Around
AL Kharj
$28 *
Barcelona
$48 71.6% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $692 in AL Kharj versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 26% higher in AL Kharj, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in AL Kharj versus $67 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $322 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇦 AL Kharj
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
12:33 12:33 PM
10:33 10:33 AM
2 h behind AL Kharj
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
425,300
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • AL Kharj Barcelona 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • AL Kharj
  • 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
AL Kharj vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in AL Kharj and in Barcelona compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $961 in AL Kharj, $2,453 in Barcelona – AL Kharj comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in AL Kharj compared to Barcelona?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,442 per month in AL Kharj and $3,679 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between AL Kharj and Barcelona?
Rent is clearly cheaper in AL Kharj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $692 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.
What is the difference in childcare costs between AL Kharj and Barcelona?
Kindergarten costs $289 per month in AL Kharj and $917 in Barcelona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 85% more in Barcelona, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in AL Kharj, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Barcelona at $2,453. In AL Kharj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: AL Kharj or Barcelona?
Families tend to lean toward AL Kharj – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is AL Kharj or Barcelona safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Where should expats move: AL Kharj or Barcelona?
For expats, AL Kharj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 61% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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