Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ar-rass

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,162 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
Learn more

Ar-rass Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,162 in Ar-rass.

Barcelona $2,443
Ar-rass $1,162

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,717 in Ar-rass.

Barcelona $3,519
Ar-rass $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,272 in Ar-rass.

Barcelona $4,595
Ar-rass $2,272

Living in Barcelona is roughly 110% more expensive than in Ar-rass, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Ar-rass is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$6.73 SAR 25.27

162.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$37.53 SAR 141

79.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$8.20 SAR 30.79

65.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.79

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.23

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$3.29 SAR 12.36

-5.78%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.88 SAR 3.30

240.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$0.27 SAR 1.01

614.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.81 SAR 6.81

-30.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.38 SAR 1.43

457.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.82 SAR 6.85

8.24%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$3.67 SAR 13.78

29.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$6.77 SAR 25.40

152.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$7.99 SAR 29.97

12.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$12.90 SAR 48.43

60.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.14 SAR 8.03

47.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.73 SAR 6.48

13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.64 SAR 6.17

61.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.56 SAR 5.84

84.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.25 SAR 4.68

64.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.33 SAR 5.01

63.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.26 SAR 4.73

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.58 SAR 2.17

67.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 SAR 7.33

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$7.88 SAR 29.58

-11.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$0.96 SAR 3.60

244.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

$42.22 SAR 158

-39.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.61 SAR 9.78

18.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.49 SAR 5.60

-0.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$13.93 SAR 52.3

135.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.61 SAR 2.27

206.56%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$25.3K SAR 95.1K

30.11%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$21.7K SAR 81.4K

47.25%

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

$183 €163

$94.9 SAR 356

92.68%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$24.18 SAR 90.7

-41.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$60.3 SAR 226

-42.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$43.79 SAR 164

17.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$13.26 SAR 49.79

-16.59%

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

$944 €840

$417 SAR 1,565

126.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$11.2K SAR 42.1K

98.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$42.38 SAR 159

106.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$55.8 SAR 209

-30.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$97.9 SAR 368

6.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$74.6 SAR 280

57.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$562 SAR 2,110

201.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$416 SAR 1,560

221.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$383 SAR 1,439

602.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$620 SAR 2,327

235.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

$1,915 SAR 7,189

273.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

$1,353 SAR 5,078

275.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

$1,732 SAR 6,502

29.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

5.54

-42.42%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ar-rass: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Ar-rass

$416 35.8% 68.9% $921

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Ar-rass

$197 16.9% 40% $131

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Ar-rass

$123 10.5% 54.1% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Ar-rass

$179 15.4% 22.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Ar-rass

$122 10.5% 22.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ar-rass

$70 6.1% 4.4% $3.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Ar-rass

$56 4.8% 13.8% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $562 in Ar-rass. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $38 in Ar-rass for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $197 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

121,359

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Ar-rass 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,162 in Ar-rass, so Ar-rass is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $562 in Ar-rass. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $417 in Ar-rass. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,162 in Ar-rass versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ar-rass but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ar-rass the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Ar-rass wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.