Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Dammam: $1,217 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Dammam
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,217
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Dammam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,217 in Dammam.

  • Barcelona $2,443
  • Dammam $1,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,855 in Dammam.

  • Barcelona $3,519
  • Dammam $1,855

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,492 in Dammam.

  • Barcelona $4,595
  • Dammam $2,492

Living in Barcelona is roughly 101% more expensive than in Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Dammam is 10% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Dammam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 €15.79
$6.62 SAR 24.84
166.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.3
$39.86 SAR 150
69.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.61 €12.17
$7.95 SAR 29.82
71.19%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.79 SAR 6.71
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.77 SAR 6.65
-
Cappuccino
$3.10 €2.77
$3.68 SAR 13.80
-15.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.68
$0.76 SAR 2.84
294.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.72
$0.30 SAR 1.14
543.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 €3.44
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.90
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Dammam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.11
$1.70 SAR 6.39
-26.47%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.90
$1.02 SAR 3.82
107.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$2.32 SAR 8.72
-15.09%
Eggs
$4.76 €4.26
$2.55 SAR 9.57
86.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.07 €15.26
$6.78 SAR 25.45
151.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.96 €8.01
$7.55 SAR 28.35
18.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.65 €18.46
$13.23 SAR 49.65
56.08%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 €2.83
$2.30 SAR 8.63
37.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.62 SAR 6.07
21.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.37
$1.56 SAR 5.84
69.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.58
$1.56 SAR 5.87
84.62%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 €1.84
$1.29 SAR 4.85
59.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.95
$1.34 SAR 5.01
62.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.32 SAR 4.94
15.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.87
$0.64 SAR 2.40
51.56%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.92 SAR 10.94
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.81 SAR 6.78
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.10 SAR 7.88
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.97 €6.23
$7.03 SAR 26.39
-0.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.05
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.27
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 €2.40
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Dammam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.31 €2.96
$1.04 SAR 3.91
218.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.61 €22.90
$40.48 SAR 152
-36.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 €2.76
$2.62 SAR 9.82
17.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.33
$1.93 SAR 7.23
-23.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.87 €29.40
$13.44 SAR 50.5
144.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 €1.67
$0.61 SAR 2.28
206.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.5K
$26.2K SAR 98.5K
25.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.6K
$23.1K SAR 86.7K
38.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Dammam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €164
$104 SAR 390
76.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.24 €12.73
$34.20 SAR 128
-58.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.56 €30.91
$71.1 SAR 267
-51.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Dammam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 €45.98
$95.7 SAR 359
-46.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 €14.65
$37.15 SAR 139
-55.91%
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.89
$14.68 SAR 55.1
-24.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Dammam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$944 €844
$358 SAR 1,343
163.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K €19.9K
$7,447 SAR 28.0K
199.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Dammam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.7 €78.4
$56.4 SAR 212
55.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 €34.67
$62.4 SAR 234
-37.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.5
$82.8 SAR 311
26.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €105
$83.5 SAR 313
40.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Dammam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 €1,517
$443 SAR 1,661
283.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 €1,195
$374 SAR 1,402
257.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,692 €2,407
$882 SAR 3,311
205.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,077 €1,857
$621 SAR 2,330
234.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,155 €6,398
$1,763 SAR 6,616
305.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,079 €4,542
$1,082 SAR 4,061
369.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Dammam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,241 €2,004
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.19
4.42
-27.83%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dammam: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Dammam
$374 72% $963
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$328
Dammam
$199 39.2% $129
Eating Out
Barcelona
$267
Dammam
$125 53.1% $142
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$232
Dammam
$209 9.7% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$157
Dammam
$128 18.2% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Dammam
$125 70% $51
Getting Around
Barcelona
$49
Dammam
$57 15.3% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $443 in Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $40 in Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $199 per month, with Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇸🇦 Dammam
🕒 Local time
00:48 12:48 AM
02:48 2:48 AM
2 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
903,312
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.2 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Dammam 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Dammam

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 Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Dammam?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,217 in Dammam, so Dammam is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Dammam?
You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $1,826 in Dammam to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Dammam?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $443 in Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Dammam?
Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $358 in Dammam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,217 in Dammam versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dammam but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Dammam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Where should families live: Barcelona or Dammam?
For families, Dammam is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Is Barcelona or Dammam safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Dammam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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