Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and AL Kharj

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $961 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in AL Kharj
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AL Kharj Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in AL Kharj

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

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $961 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
AL Kharj $961

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $1,464 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
AL Kharj $1,464

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $1,966 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
AL Kharj $1,966

Barcelona costs about 155% more than AL Kharj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 80% above the global median, while AL Kharj is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$4.79 SAR 17.99

267.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$26.43 SAR 99.2

155.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.14 SAR 30.56

66.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 SAR 4.94

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.06 SAR 11.49

4.25%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.85 SAR 3.21

242.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.12 SAR 0.44

1475.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.49 SAR 5.58

-12.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.28 SAR 1.06

621.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.44 SAR 9.17

-24.18%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.12 SAR 7.95

127.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$10.38 SAR 38.96

61.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$4.95 SAR 18.59

84.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$13.09 SAR 49.13

50.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.71 SAR 6.43

74.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.37 SAR 5.15

47.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.23 SAR 4.60

119.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.38 SAR 5.18

102.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.06 SAR 3.97

97.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.05 SAR 3.94

97.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.55 SAR 2.05

165.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.54 SAR 2.02

74.07%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.45 SAR 24.21

6.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$23.07 SAR 86.6

10.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.66 SAR 9.97

12.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.51 SAR 1.90

192.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$13.22 SAR 49.60

152.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.61 SAR 2.27

195.08%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$26.6K SAR 100.0K

24.56%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

41.05%

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

$180 €162

$107 SAR 400

69.19%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$26.42 SAR 99.2

-47.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$50.6 SAR 190

-33.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$72.4 SAR 272

-28.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$40.69 SAR 153

-60.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.41 SAR 50.3

-18.05%

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

$917 €821

$289 SAR 1,084

217.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$3,810 SAR 14.3K

332.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$57.5 SAR 216

51.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$52.4 SAR 197

-26.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$46.60 SAR 175

127.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$78.9 SAR 296

51.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$692 SAR 2,597

145.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$267 SAR 1,002

407.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$590 SAR 2,214

341.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$461 SAR 1,729

347.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,793 SAR 10.5K

-20.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.54

-40.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for AL Kharj: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

AL Kharj

$267 27.8% 80.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

AL Kharj

$174 18.1% 46% $148

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

AL Kharj

$103 10.8% 61.4% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

AL Kharj

$184 19.1% 19.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

AL Kharj

$106 11% 32.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

AL Kharj

$99 10.3% 34.9% $26

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

AL Kharj

$28 * 2.9% 41.7% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $692 in AL Kharj. 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 26% higher in AL Kharj, 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 $67 in Barcelona versus $26 in AL Kharj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $174 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 AL Kharj

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

07:07 7:07 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

425,300

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona AL Kharj 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
AL Kharj

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 Kharj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona, $961 in AL Kharj – AL Kharj comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $1,442 in AL Kharj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in AL Kharj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $692 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

Kindergarten costs $917 per month in Barcelona and $289 in AL Kharj. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 85% more in Barcelona, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in AL Kharj, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Barcelona at $2,453. In AL Kharj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, AL Kharj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 61% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.