Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arar

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,185 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arar

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

A single person spends $2,443 per month in Barcelona vs $1,185 in Arar, rent included.

Barcelona $2,443
Arar $1,185

A couple spends around $3,519 per month in Barcelona vs $1,820 in Arar, rent included.

Barcelona $3,519
Arar $1,820

A family of three spends $4,595 per month in Barcelona vs $2,454 in Arar, rent included.

Barcelona $4,595
Arar $2,454

Barcelona costs about 106% more than Arar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 81% above the global median, while Arar is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$7.45 SAR 27.97

137.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$34.32 SAR 129

96.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$6.87 SAR 25.77

98.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 SAR 8.92

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$3.04 SAR 11.39

1.97%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.81 SAR 3.04

270.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$0.24 SAR 0.91

704.17%

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

$1.53 SAR 5.76

-18.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.39 SAR 5.22

52.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.26 SAR 8.47

-12.83%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$2.28 SAR 8.54

108.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$7.95 SAR 29.85

114.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$8.74 SAR 32.81

2.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$13.35 SAR 50.1

54.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.43 SAR 9.12

30.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.78 SAR 6.67

10.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.73 SAR 6.50

53.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.39 SAR 5.22

107.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.33 SAR 4.98

54.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.43 SAR 5.38

52.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.35 SAR 5.06

13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.54 SAR 2.02

79.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.18 SAR 11.93

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 SAR 6.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 SAR 7.21

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$7.47 SAR 28.04

-6.69%

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

$1.12 SAR 4.21

195.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

$41.17 SAR 155

-37.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.75 SAR 10.31

12.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.48 SAR 5.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$13.41 SAR 50.3

145.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.68 SAR 2.56

175.00%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$29.6K SAR 111.2K

11.26%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$23.2K SAR 87.2K

37.57%

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

$183 €163

$111 SAR 416

64.92%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$28.89 SAR 108

-50.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$60.5 SAR 227

-42.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$73.8 SAR 277

-30.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$13.55 SAR 50.9

-18.38%

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

$944 €840

$394 SAR 1,481

139.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

112.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$39.59 SAR 149

121.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$50.1 SAR 188

-22.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$110 SAR 413

-4.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$75.1 SAR 282

56.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$627 SAR 2,355

170.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$373 SAR 1,400

258.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$812 SAR 3,049

231.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$701 SAR 2,632

196.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

$1,731 SAR 6,496

313.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

$1,161 SAR 4,356

337.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

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 Arar: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Arar

$373 31.5% 72.1% $964

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Arar

$210 17.8% 35.8% $117

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Arar

$121 10.2% 54.7% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Arar

$200 16.9% 13.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Arar

$124 10.4% 21.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Arar

$101 8.5% 37.2% $27

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Arar

$56 4.7% 13.1% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,697 in Barcelona versus $627 in Arar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $34 in Arar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $210 – making Arar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 Arar

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

06:38 6:38 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

167,057

💱 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Arar 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Arar

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 Arar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona, $1,185 in Arar – Arar comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,664 per month in Barcelona and $1,777 in Arar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $627 there versus $1,697 in Barcelona.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $944 per month in Barcelona and $394 in Arar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arar, where all-in costs run around $1,185, than in Barcelona at $2,443. In Arar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arar – 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.