Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Riyadh: $1,738 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
Learn more

Riyadh Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Riyadh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,738 in Riyadh.

Barcelona $2,453
Riyadh $1,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,587 in Riyadh.

Barcelona $3,509
Riyadh $2,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,437 in Riyadh.

Barcelona $4,564
Riyadh $3,437

Living in Barcelona is roughly 41% more expensive than in Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Riyadh 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$8.09 SAR 30.37

117.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$65.3 SAR 245

3.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.18 SAR 30.68

65.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.30 SAR 16.13

-25.81%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.85 SAR 3.18

242.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.30 SAR 1.12

530.00%

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

$1.83 SAR 6.85

-28.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.31 SAR 4.93

54.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.37 SAR 8.88

-21.94%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.04 SAR 11.41

58.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$10.77 SAR 40.40

55.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.38 SAR 35.17

-2.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.98 SAR 56.2

31.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.85 SAR 10.70

4.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.90 SAR 7.13

6.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.47 SAR 9.25

9.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.71 SAR 6.43

63.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.18 SAR 4.43

77.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.28 SAR 4.82

61.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.78 SAR 6.69

-17.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.58 SAR 2.16

62.07%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.58

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$7.85 SAR 29.45

-12.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

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

$1.04 SAR 3.91

201.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$38.07 SAR 143

-33.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.13 SAR 11.74

-4.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.91 SAR 7.16

-21.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$13.31 SAR 49.91

150.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.60 SAR 2.26

200.00%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$26.2K SAR 98.2K

26.74%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

42.60%

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

$180 €162

$108 SAR 403

67.75%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$29.62 SAR 111

-53.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$71.0 SAR 266

-52.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$83.0 SAR 311

-37.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$57.3 SAR 215

-72.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.31 SAR 49.94

-17.43%

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

$917 €821

$554 SAR 2,077

65.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.1K SAR 37.8K

63.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$57.7 SAR 216

50.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$54.4 SAR 204

-29.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$104 SAR 391

1.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$105 SAR 393

14.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,149 SAR 4,310

47.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$833 SAR 3,127

62.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,166 SAR 8,125

20.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,276 SAR 4,786

61.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

148.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,718 SAR 6,443

198.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,052 SAR 7,699

7.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.54

-40.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Riyadh

$833 48% 38.5% $522

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 25% $80

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Riyadh

$145 8.4% 45.7% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Riyadh

$208 12% 8.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 8.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Riyadh

$110 6.3% 49.2% $36

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Riyadh

$55 3.2% 13.3% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,149 in Riyadh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 8% 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 $65 in Riyadh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $241 per month, with Riyadh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

04:54 4:54 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

5,188,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Riyadh 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Riyadh

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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,738 in Riyadh, so Riyadh is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% 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 $1,149 in Riyadh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $554 in Riyadh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Riyadh gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Riyadh are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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