Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Muscat

For one person, living is cheaper in Muscat: $1,556 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Muscat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,556 in Muscat.

Barcelona $2,399
Muscat $1,556

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,299 in Muscat.

Barcelona $3,410
Muscat $2,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,042 in Muscat.

Barcelona $4,421
Muscat $3,042

Living in Barcelona is roughly 54% more expensive than in Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Muscat 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$5.33 OMR 2.05

236.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$39.12 OMR 15.06

73.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$7.76 OMR 2.99

71.13%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.93 OMR 1.90

-34.08%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.85 OMR 0.33

254.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.27 OMR 0.10

592.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$12.87 OMR 4.95

-70.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$13.07 OMR 5.03

-65.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.31 OMR 0.89

-44.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.24 OMR 0.48

64.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-8.02%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.02 OMR 1.16

57.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$7.23 OMR 2.78

131.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$6.91 OMR 2.66

29.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$10.57 OMR 4.07

88.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.51 OMR 1.35

-15.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.01 OMR 0.77

1.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.33 OMR 0.90

17.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.26 OMR 0.49

112.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.16 OMR 0.44

81.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.28 OMR 0.49

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-18.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.68 OMR 0.26

30.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.62 OMR 2.55

4.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$15.83 OMR 6.09

-50.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$6.03 OMR 2.32

-75.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$10.33 OMR 3.98

-75.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.33 OMR 0.51

124.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$77.9 OMR 30.00

-67.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.18 OMR 1.23

-1.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.62 OMR 1.01

-45.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$7.83 OMR 3.01

327.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.60 OMR 0.23

198.33%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$25.9K OMR 9,986

33.52%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$22.4K OMR 8,624

34.23%

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

$178 €158

$176 OMR 67.9

0.90%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$28.30 OMR 10.90

-52.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$70.9 OMR 27.28

-50.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$62.7 OMR 24.14

-15.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$29.94 OMR 11.53

-46.53%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$10.52 OMR 4.05

5.13%

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

$957 €851

$283 OMR 109

237.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$10.6K OMR 4,070

56.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$56.6 OMR 21.79

55.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$43.33 OMR 16.68

-8.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$91.1 OMR 35.08

12.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$86.4 OMR 33.28

40.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$674 OMR 260

145.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$461 OMR 177

182.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,324 OMR 510

93.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$813 OMR 313

135.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$2,871 OMR 1,105

153.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,614 OMR 621

214.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,650 OMR 635

38.25%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Muscat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Muscat

$461 29.6% 64.6% $841

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Muscat

$292 18.8% 8.8% $28

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Muscat

$220 14.1% 18.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Muscat

$275 17.7% 21.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Muscat

$125 8% 21.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Muscat

$84 5.4% 11.1% $8.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Muscat

$100 6.4% 110% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $674 in Muscat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 38% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $39.00 in Muscat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $292 per month, with Muscat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇴🇲 Muscat

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

12:42 12:42 PM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,090,797 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Muscat 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Muscat

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 Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Muscat differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,556 including rent). Muscat is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $674 in Muscat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $283 in Muscat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,556 in Muscat versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Muscat but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Muscat 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 Muscat are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Muscat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.