Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Jeddah

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,395 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
Learn more

Jeddah Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Jeddah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,395 in Jeddah.

Barcelona $2,453
Jeddah $1,395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,167 in Jeddah.

Barcelona $3,509
Jeddah $2,167

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,940 in Jeddah.

Barcelona $4,564
Jeddah $2,940

Living in Barcelona is roughly 76% more expensive than in Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Jeddah 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$6.16 SAR 23.10

185.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$79.6 SAR 299

-15.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$9.60 SAR 36.03

40.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 SAR 8.74

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 SAR 9.96

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.78 SAR 14.18

-15.61%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$1.07 SAR 4.01

171.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.26 SAR 0.98

626.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.75 SAR 6.57

-25.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.33 SAR 4.99

51.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.26 SAR 8.47

-18.14%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.48 SAR 9.32

94.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$6.52 SAR 24.47

156.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$8.02 SAR 30.09

13.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$12.98 SAR 48.70

51.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.10 SAR 7.88

41.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.67 SAR 6.27

20.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.55 SAR 5.80

74.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.67 SAR 6.28

67.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.17 SAR 4.37

78.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.27 SAR 4.75

62.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.11 SAR 4.17

31.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.54 SAR 2.04

74.07%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.24 SAR 15.90

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 SAR 9.45

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$6.59 SAR 24.72

4.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.89 SAR 3.34

252.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$55.1 SAR 207

-53.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.14 SAR 11.79

-4.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.76 SAR 6.62

-15.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$13.78 SAR 51.7

142.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.64 SAR 2.40

181.25%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$38.9K SAR 145.9K

-14.63%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

46.33%

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

$180 €162

$91.3 SAR 342

97.69%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$38.64 SAR 145

-64.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$67.0 SAR 251

-49.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$69.7 SAR 261

-26.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$38.79 SAR 146

-58.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$11.88 SAR 44.58

-7.49%

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

$917 €823

$786 SAR 2,951

16.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.6K SAR 62.3K

-0.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$74.5 SAR 280

16.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$56.0 SAR 210

-31.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$101 SAR 378

5.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$95.7 SAR 359

25.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$812 SAR 3,048

109.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$558 SAR 2,093

143.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,315 SAR 4,933

97.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$863 SAR 3,237

139.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$1,688 SAR 6,335

309.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$1,091 SAR 4,094

369.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,691 SAR 6,346

30.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.39

-39.15%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Jeddah

$558 40% 58.9% $798

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Jeddah

$200 14.4% 37.7% $121

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Jeddah

$129 9.2% 52% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Jeddah

$197 14.1% 13.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Jeddah

$147 10.6% 6.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Jeddah

$93 6.7% 27.1% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Jeddah

$71 5.1% 45.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $812 in Jeddah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 31% 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 $80 in Jeddah. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $200, with Jeddah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

01:59 1:59 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

3,430,697

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Jeddah 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Jeddah

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 Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,395 in Jeddah, so Jeddah is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $812 in Jeddah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $786 in Jeddah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,395 in Jeddah versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jeddah but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Jeddah 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Jeddah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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