Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Qatif

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatif: $1,102 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Qatif
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Qatif Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Qatif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Qatif

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,102 in Qatif.

Barcelona $2,453
Qatif $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,640 in Qatif.

Barcelona $3,509
Qatif $1,640

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,178 in Qatif.

Barcelona $4,564
Qatif $2,178

Living in Barcelona is roughly 123% more expensive than in Qatif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Qatif is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$3.50 SAR 13.15

402.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$34.91 SAR 131

93.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$6.52 SAR 24.48

107.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 SAR 7.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SAR 8.39

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.10 SAR 11.62

2.90%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.77 SAR 2.89

277.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.19 SAR 0.72

894.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.78 SAR 6.68

-26.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.91 SAR 3.42

121.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.92 SAR 7.20

-3.65%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.10 SAR 7.89

130.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$5.90 SAR 22.14

183.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$7.90 SAR 29.64

15.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$12.64 SAR 47.44

55.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.29 SAR 8.58

30.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.71 SAR 6.41

18.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.59 SAR 5.95

69.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.67 SAR 2.52

317.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.08 SAR 4.05

93.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.13 SAR 4.26

83.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.95 SAR 3.58

53.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.55 SAR 2.07

70.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.60 SAR 9.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SAR 8.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.26 SAR 23.48

9.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.09 SAR 4.09

188.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$36.50 SAR 137

-30.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.46 SAR 9.22

21.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.55 SAR 2.07

170.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$13.24 SAR 49.70

152.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.61 SAR 2.29

195.08%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

14.19%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$20.3K SAR 76.3K

55.94%

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

$180 €162

$104 SAR 388

74.29%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$32.15 SAR 121

-56.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$59.3 SAR 222

-43.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$79.4 SAR 298

-35.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$21.38 SAR 80.2

-25.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.07 SAR 49.03

-15.91%

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

$917 €821

$264 SAR 992

246.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,860 SAR 29.5K

109.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$32.16 SAR 121

170.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$21.10 SAR 79.2

82.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$95.5 SAR 358

10.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$90.7 SAR 340

32.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$586 SAR 2,199

190.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$374 SAR 1,402

262.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$807 SAR 3,029

222.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$578 SAR 2,171

256.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$943 SAR 3,537

633.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$796 SAR 2,987

544.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$2,257 SAR 8,471

-2.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.5

-40.36%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Qatif: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Qatif

$374 33.9% 72.4% $982

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Qatif

$185 16.8% 42.4% $136

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Qatif

$89 8% 66.9% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Qatif

$195 17.7% 14.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Qatif

$108 9.8% 31.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Qatif

$106 9.6% 43.6% $32

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Qatif

$46 4.2% 5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $586 in Qatif. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $35 in Qatif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $185 per month, with Qatif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 Qatif

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

01:15 1:15 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

87,332

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 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 Qatif 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Qatif

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 Qatif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,102 in Qatif, so Qatif is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,653 in Qatif 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $586 in Qatif. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $264 in Qatif. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,102 in Qatif versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Qatif but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Qatif 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 Qatif are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.