Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ar-rustaq

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $953 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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 Ar-rustaq
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Ar-rustaq Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $953 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Ar-rustaq $953

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $1,432 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Ar-rustaq $1,432

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $1,910 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Ar-rustaq $1,910

Barcelona costs about 157% more than Ar-rustaq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Barcelona sits 80% above the global median, while Ar-rustaq is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$5.33 OMR 2.05

230.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$39.16 OMR 15.08

72.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$7.82 OMR 3.01

73.02%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$5.21 OMR 2.01

-38.77%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$0.84 OMR 0.32

246.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.27 OMR 0.10

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$12.78 OMR 4.92

-68.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$13.19 OMR 5.08

-65.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.39 OMR 0.92

-45.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.20 OMR 0.46

68.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.95 OMR 0.75

-5.13%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.08 OMR 1.19

56.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$7.11 OMR 2.74

135.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$6.96 OMR 2.68

31.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$10.14 OMR 3.90

93.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.51 OMR 1.35

-15.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.03 OMR 0.78

-0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.40 OMR 0.92

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.28 OMR 0.49

118.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.17 OMR 0.45

78.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.22 OMR 0.47

69.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.86 OMR 0.72

-21.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.68 OMR 0.26

38.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$6.65 OMR 2.56

3.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$15.55 OMR 5.99

-49.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$5.85 OMR 2.25

-75.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$10.05 OMR 3.87

-74.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.24 OMR 1.25

-7.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.57 OMR 0.99

-42.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$8.03 OMR 3.09

315.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.59 OMR 0.23

205.08%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$25.4K OMR 9,784

30.61%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$20.9K OMR 8,060

51.41%

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

$180 €162

$177 OMR 68.3

1.75%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$30.29 OMR 11.66

-54.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$71.6 OMR 27.58

-52.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$10.25 OMR 3.95

7.22%

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

$917 €823

$508 OMR 196

80.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.5K OMR 4,030

57.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$55.9 OMR 21.53

55.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$43.75 OMR 16.84

-11.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$88.6 OMR 34.12

19.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$86.4 OMR 33.26

38.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$4,358 OMR 1,678

-49.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.25

-37.52%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ar-rustaq: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ar-rustaq

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ar-rustaq

$290 30.5% 9.8% $32

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.4% 16.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ar-rustaq

$279 29.3% 22.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ar-rustaq

$124 13% 21.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2% 72.1% $53

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7% 66.8% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 97% higher in Ar-rustaq, 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 $39 in Ar-rustaq. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $290 – making Ar-rustaq the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

00:32 12:32 AM

3 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

120,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Ar-rustaq 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ar-rustaq

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-rustaq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 157%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $1,430 in Ar-rustaq. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $953 in Ar-rustaq. That makes Ar-rustaq about 61% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $917 per month in Barcelona and $508 in Ar-rustaq. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $953 in Ar-rustaq to $2,453 in Barcelona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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