Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rabigh

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabigh: $953 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Rabigh
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Rabigh Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Rabigh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rabigh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $953 in Rabigh.

Barcelona $2,453
Rabigh $953

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,456 in Rabigh.

Barcelona $3,509
Rabigh $1,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,960 in Rabigh.

Barcelona $4,564
Rabigh $1,960

Living in Barcelona is roughly 157% more expensive than in Rabigh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Rabigh is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$4.66 SAR 17.49

277.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$26.40 SAR 99.1

155.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$6.97 SAR 26.15

94.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 SAR 5.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.57 SAR 9.63

24.12%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$0.70 SAR 2.63

315.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.23 SAR 0.86

721.74%

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

$1.88 SAR 7.06

-30.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.02 SAR 3.82

98.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.19 SAR 8.23

-15.53%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.56 SAR 9.61

88.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$6.08 SAR 22.80

175.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$12.04 SAR 45.17

-24.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$12.95 SAR 48.60

51.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.08 SAR 7.81

43.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.62 SAR 6.08

24.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.80 SAR 6.76

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.50 SAR 5.62

86.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.33 SAR 4.99

57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.51 SAR 5.67

37.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.06 SAR 3.97

37.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.74 SAR 2.77

27.03%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.89 SAR 10.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.22

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$7.94 SAR 29.80

-13.48%

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

$1.08 SAR 4.06

190.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$33.60 SAR 126

-24.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.41 SAR 9.06

24.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.61 SAR 9.80

-42.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$13.48 SAR 50.6

147.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.61 SAR 2.27

195.08%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

24.69%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

48.15%

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

$180 €162

$66.6 SAR 250

170.89%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$34.24 SAR 128

-59.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$63.8 SAR 239

-47.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$74.0 SAR 277

-30.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$15.35 SAR 57.6

-28.40%

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

$917 €823

$428 SAR 1,606

114.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,737 SAR 29.0K

113.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$13.32 SAR 49.99

553.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$55.3 SAR 207

-30.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$39.72 SAR 149

166.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$53.7 SAR 201

123.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$335 SAR 1,258

406.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$244 SAR 917

454.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$610 SAR 2,290

326.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$424 SAR 1,591

386.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$1,728 SAR 6,484

300.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$1,478 SAR 5,546

246.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

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 25, 2026

Last update for Rabigh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Rabigh

$244 25.7% 82% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Rabigh

$220 23.1% 31.6% $102

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Rabigh

$93 9.7% 65.4% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Rabigh

$165 17.3% 27.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Rabigh

$73 7.7% 53.9% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Rabigh

$105 11% 42.4% $31

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Rabigh

$53 5.6% 10.2% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $335 in Rabigh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $26 in Rabigh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $220 per month, with Rabigh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 Rabigh

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

17:55 5:55 PM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

92,072

💱 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 Rabigh 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Rabigh

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 Rabigh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Rabigh differ by about 157% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $953 including rent). Rabigh is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,429 in Rabigh 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 $335 in Rabigh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $428 in Rabigh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Rabigh are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.