Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,217 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ad Dammam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Ad Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam.

Barcelona $2,453
Ad Dammam $1,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,838 in Ad Dammam.

Barcelona $3,509
Ad Dammam $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,460 in Ad Dammam.

Barcelona $4,564
Ad Dammam $2,460

Living in Barcelona is roughly 102% more expensive than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Ad Dammam is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$7.12 SAR 26.74

147.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$34.16 SAR 128

97.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$6.82 SAR 25.59

98.39%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 SAR 7.17

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.02 SAR 11.32

5.63%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$0.78 SAR 2.94

273.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.17 SAR 0.63

1011.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.73 SAR 6.51

-24.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.29 SAR 4.85

56.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.94 SAR 7.29

-4.64%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.18 SAR 8.20

121.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$7.60 SAR 28.52

120.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$7.83 SAR 29.37

16.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$12.77 SAR 47.91

53.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.22 SAR 8.33

34.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.71 SAR 6.42

18.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.64 SAR 6.15

64.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.58 SAR 5.94

77.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.12 SAR 4.21

86.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.16 SAR 4.35

78.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.33 SAR 4.98

9.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.62 SAR 2.31

51.61%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.23

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SAR 5.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$7.58 SAR 28.46

-9.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.91 SAR 3.41

245.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$38.54 SAR 145

-33.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.74 SAR 10.27

9.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.74 SAR 10.28

-45.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$13.10 SAR 49.15

154.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.64 SAR 2.40

181.25%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

14.16%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

47.73%

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

$180 €162

$131 SAR 493

37.42%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$32.48 SAR 122

-57.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$62.9 SAR 236

-46.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$72.9 SAR 273

-29.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$28.56 SAR 107

-44.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$13.54 SAR 50.8

-18.83%

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

$917 €823

$416 SAR 1,559

120.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,051 SAR 30.2K

104.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$42.09 SAR 158

106.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$50.5 SAR 189

-23.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$96.1 SAR 361

10.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$92.6 SAR 347

29.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$535 SAR 2,008

217.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$387 SAR 1,450

250.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$970 SAR 3,640

168.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$670 SAR 2,512

208.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$962 SAR 3,610

618.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$707 SAR 2,653

625.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,475 SAR 5,536

49.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.9

-44.41%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ad Dammam

$386 31.8% 71.5% $969

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ad Dammam

$201 16.5% 37.5% $121

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7% 56.1% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ad Dammam

$227 18.6% 0.6% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ad Dammam

$127 10.4% 19.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ad Dammam

$100 8.2% 36% $26

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ad Dammam

$59 4.8% 20.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $535 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 50% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $34 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $201 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

903,312

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Ad Dammam 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ad Dammam

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

Barcelona vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $535 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam – Ad Dammam is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 34% less than in Ad Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ad Dammam 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, Barcelona and Ad Dammam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ad Dammam wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.