Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sabah Al Salem

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabah Al Salem: $1,404 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Sabah Al Salem
Learn more

Sabah Al Salem Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,404

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sabah Al Salem

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 Sabah Al Salem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,404 in Sabah Al Salem.

Barcelona $2,405
Sabah Al Salem $1,404

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $2,448 in Sabah Al Salem.

Barcelona $3,477
Sabah Al Salem $2,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $3,492 in Sabah Al Salem.

Barcelona $4,550
Sabah Al Salem $3,492

Living in Barcelona is roughly 71% more expensive than in Sabah Al Salem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Sabah Al Salem 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$8.29 KWD 2.57

116.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$70.4 KWD 21.83

-4.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$9.36 KWD 2.90

42.84%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 KWD 0.99

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 KWD 0.99

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$6.51 KWD 2.02

-48.69%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$0.49 KWD 0.15

502.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.50 KWD 0.16

280.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.91 KWD 0.59

-33.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.32 KWD 0.41

48.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.12 KWD 0.66

-17.45%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$3.04 KWD 0.94

60.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$7.35 KWD 2.28

137.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$5.56 KWD 1.72

62.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$10.28 KWD 3.18

96.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.39 KWD 0.74

28.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.88 KWD 0.58

7.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.28 KWD 0.40

103.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.49 KWD 0.46

81.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.31 KWD 0.40

64.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.92 KWD 0.28

140.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.65 KWD 0.51

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.47 KWD 0.14

97.87%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.62 KWD 1.12

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 KWD 0.37

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 KWD 0.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$2.51 KWD 0.78

182.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.79 KWD 0.25

273.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$113 KWD 35.03

-77.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$3.68 KWD 1.14

-14.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.78 KWD 0.86

-47.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$14.47 KWD 4.49

136.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.33 KWD 0.10

442.42%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$18.8K KWD 5,840

84.09%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$18.8K KWD 5,827

61.15%

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

$181 €161

$38.57 KWD 11.95

368.45%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$24.68 KWD 7.65

-45.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$39.63 KWD 12.28

-11.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$131 KWD 40.62

-59.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$39.05 KWD 12.10

-58.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$11.52 KWD 3.57

-1.30%

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

$939 €838

$283 KWD 87.6

232.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$7,527 KWD 2,333

119.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$38.19 KWD 11.84

130.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$38.92 KWD 12.06

2.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$98.1 KWD 30.41

5.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$89.1 KWD 27.62

34.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$792 KWD 245

114.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$557 KWD 173

133.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$1,769 KWD 548

45.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$1,325 KWD 411

46.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$2,960 KWD 917

-22.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.53

-49.77%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sabah Al Salem: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Sabah Al Salem

$557 38.9% 57.2% $743

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Sabah Al Salem

$187 13.1% 42.4% $138

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Sabah Al Salem

$176 12.3% 35.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Sabah Al Salem

$103 7.2% 55.1% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Sabah Al Salem

$119 8.3% 24.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Sabah Al Salem

$154 10.8% 103% $78

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Sabah Al Salem

$134 9.4% 178% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $792 in Sabah Al Salem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sabah Al Salem pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $70.0 in Sabah Al Salem. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $187, with Sabah Al Salem cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

92,818

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 KWD = 3.23 USD

1 KWD = 2.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Sabah Al Salem 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sabah Al Salem

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 Sabah Al Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sabah Al Salem differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,404 including rent). Sabah Al Salem is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Sabah Al Salem. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $792 in Sabah Al Salem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $283 in Sabah Al Salem. 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 $1,404 in Sabah Al Salem versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sabah Al Salem but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sabah Al Salem 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 Sabah Al Salem 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 Sabah Al Salem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.