Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Aqaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $907 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Aqaba
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Aqaba Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Aqaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Aqaba

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

A single person spends $2,399 per month in Barcelona vs $907 in Aqaba, rent included.

Barcelona $2,399
Aqaba $907

A couple spends around $3,410 per month in Barcelona vs $1,490 in Aqaba, rent included.

Barcelona $3,410
Aqaba $1,490

A family of three spends $4,421 per month in Barcelona vs $2,073 in Aqaba, rent included.

Barcelona $4,421
Aqaba $2,073

Barcelona costs about 165% more than Aqaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Barcelona sits 78% above the global median, while Aqaba is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$2.78 JOD 1.97

545.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$69.4 JOD 49.11

-1.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$4.32 JOD 3.06

207.41%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.39 JOD 3.11

-25.97%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.60 JOD 0.43

401.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.60 JOD 0.42

211.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$8.25 JOD 5.84

-53.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$10.75 JOD 7.61

-58.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.43 JOD 1.01

-9.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$0.51 JOD 0.36

300.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.59 JOD 1.12

8.18%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.72 JOD 1.22

177.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$5.55 JOD 3.93

202.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$4.32 JOD 3.06

106.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$10.00 JOD 7.08

98.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.44 JOD 1.02

106.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.40 JOD 0.99

45.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.07 JOD 0.76

155.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$0.69 JOD 0.49

288.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.68 JOD 0.48

208.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.72 JOD 0.51

188.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.60 JOD 0.42

141.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.53 JOD 0.38

67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$3.77 JOD 2.67

84.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$17.23 JOD 12.20

-54.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.78 JOD 1.97

-47.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.53 JOD 1.79

1.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$0.50 JOD 0.36

524.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.38 JOD 0.98

4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$7.14 JOD 5.06

369.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.44 JOD 1.02

24.31%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$30.8K JOD 21.8K

12.60%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$31.6K JOD 22.3K

-4.72%

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

$178 €158

$127 JOD 90.0

39.91%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$15.73 JOD 11.14

-15.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$31.46 JOD 22.27

10.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$64.1 JOD 45.41

-16.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$11.10 JOD 7.86

-0.36%

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

$957 €851

$486 JOD 344

96.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$2,863 JOD 2,027

478.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$27.70 JOD 19.61

218.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$42.79 JOD 30.29

-7.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$42.82 JOD 30.32

140.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$70.0 JOD 49.53

73.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$277 JOD 196

495.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$211 JOD 149

517.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$669 JOD 474

282.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$459 JOD 325

317.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,109 JOD 785

556.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$572 JOD 405

788.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$553 JOD 391

312.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.81

-51.84%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Aqaba: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Aqaba

$211 23.3% 83.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Aqaba

$190 20.9% 40.7% $130

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Aqaba

$155 17.1% 42.4% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Aqaba

$174 19.2% 22.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Aqaba

$82 9.1% 47.9% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Aqaba

$86 9.5% 14.6% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Aqaba

$7.4 * 0.8% 84.4% $40

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 $277 in Aqaba. 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 312% higher in Barcelona, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Barcelona versus $69.0 in Aqaba. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Barcelona vs $190 in Aqaba – so Aqaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇴 Aqaba

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

140,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Aqaba 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Aqaba

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 Aqaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 165%, 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 $1,360 in Aqaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,399 in Barcelona and $907 in Aqaba. That's a gap of about 165%.

Kindergarten costs $957 per month in Barcelona and $486 in Aqaba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aqaba, where all-in costs run around $907, than in Barcelona at $2,399. In Aqaba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aqaba – 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 Aqaba. 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.