Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ajman

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajman: $1,837 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Ajman
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Ajman Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Ajman

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ajman

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 Ajman actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,837 in Ajman.

Barcelona $2,443
Ajman $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,305 in Ajman.

Barcelona $3,519
Ajman $3,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,773 in Ajman.

Barcelona $4,595
Ajman $4,773

Living in Barcelona is roughly 33% more expensive than in Ajman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Ajman 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$5.85 AED 21.48

201.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$27.42 AED 101

146.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$8.36 AED 30.69

62.80%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$3.77 AED 13.84

-17.77%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.79 AED 2.91

279.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.36 AED 1.33

436.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$10.93 AED 40.15

-64.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$12.05 AED 44.26

-63.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.92 AED 7.05

-34.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.34 AED 4.90

58.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.47 AED 5.39

34.01%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$2.14 AED 7.84

122.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$7.67 AED 28.16

122.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$6.53 AED 24.00

37.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$9.49 AED 34.83

117.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.01 AED 7.37

57.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.33 AED 4.87

48.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.58 AED 5.80

67.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.03 AED 3.78

179.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.05 AED 3.87

96.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.15 AED 4.23

89.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.19 AED 4.38

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.56 AED 2.04

73.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$6.24 AED 22.92

11.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

$10.93 AED 40.13

-27.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.68 AED 6.16

-15.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.32 AED 8.52

15.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$4.02 AED 14.75

-17.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

$69.0 AED 253

-62.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$3.55 AED 13.05

-13.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.71 AED 2.61

108.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

$7.96 AED 29.22

312.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.99 AED 3.65

88.89%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$44.3K AED 162.7K

-25.60%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$21.4K AED 78.6K

49.33%

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

$183 €163

$154 AED 564

19.05%

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

$14.24 €12.69

$49.76 AED 183

-71.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

$85.4 AED 314

-59.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$76.8 AED 282

-33.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

$10.09 AED 37.05

62.34%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$13.34 AED 48.99

-17.09%

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

$944 €841

$479 AED 1,760

96.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$6,924 AED 25.4K

221.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$56.8 AED 209

54.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

$60.3 AED 222

-35.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$86.4 AED 317

20.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$95.0 AED 349

23.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

$2,351 AED 8,634

-27.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$805 AED 2,957

66.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$1,591 AED 5,843

69.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$2,725 AED 10.0K

-23.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

$2,250 AED 8,262

218.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$1,384 AED 5,082

267.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

$2,259 AED 8,295

-0.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

-36.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ajman: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Ajman

$805 43.8% 39.8% $532

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Ajman

$212 11.6% 35.2% $115

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Ajman

$200 10.9% 24.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Ajman

$289 15.7% 24.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Ajman

$134 7.3% 14.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ajman

$104 5.6% 40.7% $30

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Ajman

$92 5% 86.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $2,351 in Ajman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $27 in Ajman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $212 per month, with Ajman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇪 Ajman

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

3 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

238,119

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Ajman 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ajman

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 Ajman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ajman wins on cost – living expenses run 25% 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.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $2,755 in Ajman to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $2,351 in Ajman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $479 in Ajman. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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