Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and 'ali

For one person, living is cheaper in 'ali: $818 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in 'ali
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'ali Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

'ali

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in 'ali

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

A single person spends $2,399 per month in Barcelona vs $818 in 'ali, rent included.

Barcelona $2,399
'ali $818

A couple spends around $3,410 per month in Barcelona vs $1,299 in 'ali, rent included.

Barcelona $3,410
'ali $1,299

A family of three spends $4,421 per month in Barcelona vs $1,779 in 'ali, rent included.

Barcelona $4,421
'ali $1,779

Barcelona costs about 193% more than 'ali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 78% above the global median, while 'ali is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €16.01

$5.36 BHD 2.02

234.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.8

$53.3 BHD 20.14

27.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.85

$7.44 BHD 2.81

78.49%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.90

$5.01 BHD 1.89

-35.13%

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

$3.01 €2.68

$0.90 BHD 0.34

234.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.30 BHD 0.11

523.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.44

$6.73 BHD 2.54

-42.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.99

$10.18 BHD 3.84

-55.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.42 BHD 0.54

-9.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.07 BHD 0.40

90.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.26 BHD 0.85

-23.89%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.26

$2.22 BHD 0.84

114.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.97

$8.64 BHD 3.26

94.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.97

$6.45 BHD 2.44

38.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.74

$8.86 BHD 3.34

124.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.30 BHD 0.87

29.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.31 BHD 0.87

-12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.92 BHD 0.73

42.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.40 BHD 0.53

91.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.04 BHD 0.39

101.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.35 BHD 0.51

54.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.50 BHD 0.57

-3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.78 BHD 0.30

14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.19

$5.32 BHD 2.01

30.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.95

$18.80 BHD 7.10

-58.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$3.61 BHD 1.36

-59.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.30

$2.57 BHD 0.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.49

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.78

$5.42 BHD 2.05

-42.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.46 BHD 1.31

-58.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.90

$15.80 BHD 5.96

112.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.70 BHD 0.26

155.71%

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

$34.6K €30.9K

$36.7K BHD 13.9K

-5.67%

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

$30.1K €26.8K

$20.1K BHD 7,594

49.48%

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

$178 €159

$151 BHD 57.0

17.87%

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

$13.32 €11.89

$24.17 BHD 9.12

-44.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.13

$35.75 BHD 13.50

-2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.53

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$10.67 BHD 4.03

3.66%

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

$957 €854

$495 BHD 187

93.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$11.2K BHD 4,229

47.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$51.9 BHD 19.59

69.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.24

$57.3 BHD 21.63

-31.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

$89.2 BHD 33.67

15.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$89.2 BHD 33.67

36.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,475

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,162

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,282

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,709

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,503

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,534

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,035

$3,823 BHD 1,443

-40.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.21

-47.18%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for 'ali: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

'ali

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

'ali

$250 30.5% 22% $70

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

'ali

$184 22.5% 31.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

'ali

$211 25.8% 6.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

'ali

$129 15.8% 18.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

'ali

$21 * 2.6% 71.7% $54

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

'ali

$23 * 2.8% 52.2% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 68% higher in 'ali, 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 $53.0 in 'ali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $250 – making 'ali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇭 'ali

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

04:07 4:07 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

100,553

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona 'ali 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
'ali

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 'ali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 193%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,599 per month in Barcelona and $1,227 in 'ali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Barcelona and $53.0 in 'ali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% 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 'ali, where all-in costs run around $818, than in Barcelona at $2,399. In 'ali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward 'ali – 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 'ali. 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.