Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Madinat Hamad

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat Hamad: $1,192 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Madinat Hamad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,192 in Madinat Hamad.

Barcelona $2,443
Madinat Hamad $1,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,909 in Madinat Hamad.

Barcelona $3,519
Madinat Hamad $1,909

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,627 in Madinat Hamad.

Barcelona $4,595
Madinat Hamad $2,627

Living in Barcelona is roughly 105% more expensive than in Madinat Hamad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Madinat Hamad is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.77

$2.60 BHD 0.98

579.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$52.6 BHD 19.82

28.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.16

$7.62 BHD 2.87

78.61%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$2.62 BHD 0.99

18.32%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$0.89 BHD 0.33

237.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.32 BHD 0.12

503.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$6.44 BHD 2.43

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$9.77 BHD 3.68

-55.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.44 BHD 0.54

-13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.03 BHD 0.39

105.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.39 BHD 0.90

-17.57%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$2.02 BHD 0.76

135.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.24

$8.86 BHD 3.34

92.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.00

$6.41 BHD 2.42

39.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.44

$8.36 BHD 3.15

147.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.18 BHD 0.82

44.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.62 BHD 0.61

21.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.90 BHD 0.72

39.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$1.35 BHD 0.51

113.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.02 BHD 0.38

101.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.03 BHD 0.39

111.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.50 BHD 0.56

2.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.50 BHD 0.19

94.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.22

$5.17 BHD 1.95

34.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.05

$18.64 BHD 7.03

-57.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$3.66 BHD 1.38

-61.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.71 BHD 1.02

-0.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$0.64 BHD 0.24

417.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.87

$34.51 BHD 13.01

-25.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$5.15 BHD 1.94

-40.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.59 BHD 0.98

-42.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.36

$16.06 BHD 6.06

104.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.39 BHD 0.15

379.49%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$25.7K BHD 9,693

28.25%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$19.9K BHD 7,510

60.39%

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

$183 €163

$155 BHD 58.3

18.18%

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

$14.24 €12.72

$23.42 BHD 8.83

-39.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.87

$18.89 BHD 7.12

82.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.93

$118 BHD 44.36

-56.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.64

$53.9 BHD 20.34

-69.63%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.88

$5.21 BHD 1.96

112.28%

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

$944 €843

$619 BHD 233

52.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$11.1K BHD 4,194

100.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.3

$51.5 BHD 19.41

70.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.63

$57.5 BHD 21.67

-32.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.4

$87.0 BHD 32.80

20.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$90.4 BHD 34.10

30.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,516

$397 BHD 150

327.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,194

$312 BHD 118

328.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,405

$797 BHD 300

237.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,855

$670 BHD 253

209.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,391

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,537

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,002

$669 BHD 252

234.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.21

-48.63%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Madinat Hamad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Madinat Hamad

$312 26.2% 76.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Madinat Hamad

$239 20.1% 27% $89

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Madinat Hamad

$132 11.1% 50.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5% 15% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8% 17.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Madinat Hamad

$128 10.7% 74.1% $55

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Madinat Hamad

$55 4.6% 11.8% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $397 in Madinat Hamad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $53 in Madinat Hamad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $239 per month, with Madinat Hamad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

133,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Madinat Hamad 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Madinat Hamad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,192 in Madinat Hamad, so Madinat Hamad is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 3.3 times higher, 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 $397 in Madinat Hamad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $619 in Madinat Hamad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,192 in Madinat Hamad versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Madinat Hamad but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Madinat Hamad 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 – Madinat Hamad wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.