Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Saham

For one person, living is cheaper in Saham: $959 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Saham
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Saham Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Saham

🇴🇲 Oman

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Saham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $959 in Saham.

Barcelona $2,399
Saham $959

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,439 in Saham.

Barcelona $3,410
Saham $1,439

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,920 in Saham.

Barcelona $4,421
Saham $1,920

Living in Barcelona is roughly 150% more expensive than in Saham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Saham is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$5.12 OMR 1.97

250.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$39.33 OMR 15.14

73.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$7.81 OMR 3.01

70.04%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$5.21 OMR 2.00

-37.62%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.91 OMR 0.35

230.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.29 OMR 0.11

544.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$13.19 OMR 5.08

-70.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$12.89 OMR 4.96

-65.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.33 OMR 0.90

-44.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.20 OMR 0.46

70.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-8.02%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$2.92 OMR 1.13

63.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$7.49 OMR 2.88

123.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$7.00 OMR 2.69

27.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$10.70 OMR 4.12

85.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.54 OMR 1.36

-15.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.99 OMR 0.77

2.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.32 OMR 0.89

17.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.27 OMR 0.49

111.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.21 OMR 0.47

73.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.23 OMR 0.47

69.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.88 OMR 0.72

-22.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.66 OMR 0.25

34.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.46 OMR 2.49

7.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$15.88 OMR 6.11

-51.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$6.05 OMR 2.33

-76.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$10.14 OMR 3.91

-74.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.29 OMR 1.27

-5.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.61 OMR 1.01

-44.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$7.82 OMR 3.01

328.39%

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

$25.1K OMR 9,647

38.21%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$22.6K OMR 8,688

33.25%

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

$178 €158

$180 OMR 69.3

-1.13%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$30.60 OMR 11.78

-56.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$70.6 OMR 27.18

-50.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$10.45 OMR 4.02

5.84%

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

$957 €851

$282 OMR 109

239.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$10.4K OMR 4,008

59.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$56.6 OMR 21.78

55.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$42.91 OMR 16.52

-7.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$89.8 OMR 34.57

14.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$87.0 OMR 33.51

39.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

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 Saham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Saham

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Saham

$293 30.5% 8.5% $27

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Saham

$223 23.3% 17.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Saham

$281 29.3% 24.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Saham

$124 13% 21.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Saham

$21 * 2.2% 72.3% $54

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Saham

$16 * 1.7% 65.6% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $39.00 in Saham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $293 per month, with Saham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇴🇲 Saham

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

12:34 12:34 PM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

140,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Saham 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Saham

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 Saham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Saham differ by about 150% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $959 including rent). Saham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,599 in Barcelona and $1,439 in Saham 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.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $282 in Saham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saham – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $959 in Saham versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saham but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Saham 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 Saham 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 Saham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 150% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.