Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ajman Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ajman

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,482 in Barcelona versus $2,373 in Ajman.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,548 in Barcelona versus $4,512 in Ajman.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,613 in Barcelona versus $6,651 in Ajman.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 5% more expensive than in Ajman, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Ajman 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.42 €15.88

$5.88 AED 21.60

213.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 €59.8

$26.90 AED 98.8

157.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.05 €12.11

$8.09 AED 29.72

73.67%

Cappuccino

$3.11 €2.68

$3.76 AED 13.82

-17.29%

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

$2.96 €2.55

$0.79 AED 2.90

274.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.69

$0.37 AED 1.35

427.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 €3.44

$10.88 AED 39.96

-63.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 €3.98

$12.33 AED 45.29

-62.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.14

$1.93 AED 7.07

-31.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 €1.82

$1.28 AED 4.70

64.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.57

$1.54 AED 5.67

18.83%

Eggs

$5.16 €4.45

$1.95 AED 7.17

164.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.56 €15.14

$7.87 AED 28.90

123.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 €8.19

$5.52 AED 20.26

72.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.93 €17.18

$8.16 AED 29.96

144.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 €2.73

$1.87 AED 6.86

69.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.91

$1.27 AED 4.65

74.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.25

$1.49 AED 5.49

75.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.46

$0.89 AED 3.28

220.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 €1.87

$1.01 AED 3.70

114.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 €1.81

$1.08 AED 3.97

95.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.39

$0.83 AED 3.05

95.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.76

$0.53 AED 1.93

66.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.17 €6.18

$6.35 AED 23.32

12.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 €7.18

$10.78 AED 39.60

-22.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.29

$1.65 AED 6.06

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 €2.37

$2.23 AED 8.17

23.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.70

$4.09 AED 15.03

-23.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.25 €22.63

$68.8 AED 253

-61.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 €2.78

$3.56 AED 13.08

-9.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 €1.30

$0.67 AED 2.46

125.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.26 €30.39

$8.37 AED 30.74

321.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.51

$0.81 AED 2.99

116.05%

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

$36.7K €31.6K

$44.8K AED 164.5K

-18.15%

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

$31.7K €27.3K

$22.2K AED 81.6K

42.56%

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

$187 €161

$151 AED 553

24.18%

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

$15.10 €13.01

$50.5 AED 185

-70.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.60 €32.41

$84.9 AED 312

-55.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 €47.83

$79.4 AED 292

-30.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.74 €14.43

$10.01 AED 36.75

67.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.71 €10.09

$13.80 AED 50.7

-15.14%

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

$1,011 €871

$475 AED 1,746

112.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €14.7K

$5,735 AED 21.1K

197.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €78.8

$56.7 AED 208

61.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.00 €35.34

$60.4 AED 222

-32.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €95.3

$85.9 AED 315

28.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €109

$92.4 AED 339

36.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,469

$2,495 AED 9,164

-31.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 €1,120

$1,343 AED 4,931

-3.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 €2,231

$1,805 AED 6,629

43.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,929 €1,663

$4,603 AED 16.9K

-58.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,732 €6,665

$2,273 AED 8,348

240.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,384 €4,641

$1,434 AED 5,267

275.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,374 €2,046

$2,226 AED 8,175

6.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

-36.80%

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

Last update for Barcelona: September 7, 2026

Last update for Ajman: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,704 in Barcelona and $2,495 in Ajman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 7% 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: $69.0 in Barcelona vs $27.00 in Ajman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $198 per month, with Ajman cheaper across the board.

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 Ajman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ajman wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ajman the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% 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: $1,704 in Barcelona versus $2,495 in Ajman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,011 in Barcelona versus $475 in Ajman. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Ajman is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ajman delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,373 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ajman hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Ajman 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 Ajman gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.