Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Ula and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,184 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
Learn more

Al-Ula Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Al-Ula vs $2,399 in Barcelona, rent included.

Al-Ula $1,184
Barcelona $2,399

A couple spends around $1,757 per month in Al-Ula vs $3,410 in Barcelona, rent included.

Al-Ula $1,757
Barcelona $3,410

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Al-Ula vs $4,421 in Barcelona, rent included.

Al-Ula $2,330
Barcelona $4,421

Al-Ula is about 51% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Al-Ula sits 12% below the global median, while Barcelona is 78% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 SAR 22.91

$17.94 €15.96

-65.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 SAR 138

$68.1 €60.5

-45.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 SAR 29.87

$13.28 €11.81

-40.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.08

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

Cappuccino

$3.17 SAR 11.89

$3.25 €2.89

-2.46%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$3.01 €2.67

-71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$1.87 €1.66

-86.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$1.29 €1.15

34.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$2.04 €1.81

-37.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

$1.72 €1.53

33.72%

Eggs

$2.32 SAR 8.72

$4.77 €4.24

-51.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 SAR 27.75

$16.77 €14.92

-55.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 SAR 30.27

$8.93 €7.94

-9.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 SAR 47.54

$19.88 €17.68

-36.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

$2.98 €2.65

-24.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$2.03 €1.80

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$2.73 €2.43

-42.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

$2.68 €2.38

-41.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

$2.10 €1.87

-41.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$2.08 €1.85

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 SAR 4.58

$1.45 €1.29

-15.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$0.89 €0.79

-39.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.71

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$6.94 €6.17

-2.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$2.99 €2.66

-63.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.77 SAR 138

$25.20 €22.41

45.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$3.12 €2.77

-16.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

$1.44 €1.28

28.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.14 SAR 49.29

$33.50 €29.80

-60.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.79 €1.59

-63.69%

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

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

$34.6K €30.8K

27.13%

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

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

$30.1K €26.7K

-29.16%

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

$106 SAR 397

$178 €158

-40.44%

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

$33.21 SAR 125

$13.32 €11.85

149.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 SAR 247

$34.88 €31.03

88.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 SAR 309

$53.3 €47.37

54.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 SAR 50.0

$11.06 €9.84

20.52%

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

$425 SAR 1,596

$957 €851

-55.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

$16.6K €14.7K

-51.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.74 SAR 160

$88.2 €78.4

-51.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 SAR 208

$39.49 €35.12

40.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 SAR 361

$103 €91.5

-6.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$121 €108

-27.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 SAR 2,162

$1,653 €1,470

-65.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 SAR 1,397

$1,302 €1,158

-71.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$2,557 €2,275

-67.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 SAR 2,147

$1,915 €1,703

-70.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,323 SAR 8,718

$7,286 €6,481

-68.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,382 SAR 5,187

$5,080 €4,519

-72.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

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-Ula: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-Ula

$372 31.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 250% $929

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Ula

$205 17.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 10.3% $21

Groceries & Markets

Al-Ula

$203 17.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 58% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Ula

$127 10.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 24.8% $32

Eating Out

Al-Ula

$115 9.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 134% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Ula

$109 9.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 30.9% $34

Getting Around

Al-Ula

$53 4.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 10.4% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $576 in Al-Ula versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Al-Ula versus $68.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $320 – making Al-Ula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

1 h behind Al-Ula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,413

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al-Ula Barcelona 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Al-Ula
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-Ula vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,184 in Al-Ula, $2,399 in Barcelona – roughly 103% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,776 per month in Al-Ula and $3,599 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $425 per month in Al-Ula and $957 in Barcelona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Barcelona, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-Ula, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Barcelona at $2,399. In Al-Ula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,184 in Al-Ula to $2,399 in Barcelona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Al-Ula. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.