Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Al-jahra'

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-jahra': $1,239 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Al-jahra'
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Al-jahra' Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Al-jahra'

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Al-jahra'

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 Al-jahra' actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,399 per month in Barcelona vs $1,239 in Al-jahra', rent included.

Barcelona $2,399
Al-jahra' $1,239

A couple spends around $3,410 per month in Barcelona vs $2,292 in Al-jahra', rent included.

Barcelona $3,410
Al-jahra' $2,292

A family of three spends $4,421 per month in Barcelona vs $3,344 in Al-jahra', rent included.

Barcelona $4,421
Al-jahra' $3,344

Barcelona costs about 94% more than Al-jahra', and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Barcelona sits 78% above the global median, while Al-jahra' is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$12.85 KWD 3.96

39.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$63.9 KWD 19.69

6.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$8.99 KWD 2.77

47.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 KWD 1.51

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$5.33 KWD 1.64

-39.02%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.74 KWD 0.23

306.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.31 KWD 0.10

503.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.63 KWD 0.50

-20.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.46 KWD 0.45

39.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.96 KWD 0.60

-12.24%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$2.11 KWD 0.65

126.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$4.24 KWD 1.31

295.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$6.79 KWD 2.09

31.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$10.00 KWD 3.08

98.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.42 KWD 0.75

23.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.93 KWD 0.59

5.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.85 KWD 0.57

47.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.55 KWD 0.48

72.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.31 KWD 0.40

60.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.41 KWD 0.44

47.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.37 KWD 0.73

-38.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.58 KWD 0.18

53.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.19 KWD 0.98

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 KWD 0.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$2.69 KWD 0.83

157.99%

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)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.76 KWD 0.23

293.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$4.79 KWD 1.47

-34.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.17 KWD 0.98

-54.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$16.36 KWD 5.04

104.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.33 KWD 0.10

442.42%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$21.3K KWD 6,548

62.94%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$20.6K KWD 6,335

46.24%

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

$178 €158

$20.20 KWD 6.22

780.45%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$22.31 KWD 6.87

-40.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$30.02 KWD 9.25

16.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$98.2 KWD 30.25

-45.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$11.08 KWD 3.41

-0.18%

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

$957 €851

$296 KWD 91.1

223.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$9,351 KWD 2,881

77.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$37.34 KWD 11.51

136.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$39.13 KWD 12.05

0.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$95.5 KWD 29.43

7.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$87.1 KWD 26.84

39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$771 KWD 237

114.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$522 KWD 161

149.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,693 KWD 522

51.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,520 KWD 468

26.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,909 KWD 896

-21.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.53

-49.77%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al-jahra': October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Al-jahra'

$522 42.2% 59.9% $780

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Al-jahra'

$186 15% 41.9% $134

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Al-jahra'

$198 16% 26.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Al-jahra'

$73 5.9% 67.9% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Al-jahra'

$117 9.4% 26.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Al-jahra'

$120 9.7% 59.7% $45

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Al-jahra'

$24 * 1.9% 50.1% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,653 in Barcelona versus $771 in Al-jahra'. 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 28% higher in Al-jahra', 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 $68.0 in Barcelona versus $64.0 in Al-jahra'. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $186 – making Al-jahra' the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇼 Al-jahra'

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

393,432

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Al-jahra' 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Al-jahra'

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 Al-jahra': Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 94%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,599 per month in Barcelona and $1,859 in Al-jahra'. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Barcelona and $64.0 in Al-jahra'. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-jahra', where all-in costs run around $1,239, than in Barcelona at $2,399. In Al-jahra' it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-jahra' – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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-jahra'. 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.