Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tabuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Tabuk: $1,178 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Tabuk
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Tabuk Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Tabuk

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,178

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Tabuk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,178 in Tabuk.

Barcelona $2,443
Tabuk $1,178

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,766 in Tabuk.

Barcelona $3,519
Tabuk $1,766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,354 in Tabuk.

Barcelona $4,595
Tabuk $2,354

Living in Barcelona is roughly 107% more expensive than in Tabuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Tabuk is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.72

$7.33 SAR 27.50

140.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$31.31 SAR 118

115.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$7.55 SAR 28.34

80.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 SAR 5.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 SAR 6.01

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$3.13 SAR 11.76

-0.96%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.73 SAR 2.73

310.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.26 SAR 0.97

642.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.89 SAR 7.11

-33.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.91 SAR 3.40

132.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.68 SAR 10.05

-26.49%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$2.95 SAR 11.06

61.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$12.63 SAR 47.41

35.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$6.74 SAR 25.29

32.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$12.74 SAR 47.81

62.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.95 SAR 7.31

62.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.67 SAR 6.28

17.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.81 SAR 6.78

46.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$2.14 SAR 8.04

34.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.69 SAR 6.36

21.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.09 SAR 7.86

4.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.89 SAR 7.09

-19.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.60 SAR 2.24

61.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.72

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$6.62 SAR 24.86

5.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$1.05 SAR 3.94

215.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.80

$36.23 SAR 136

-29.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.70 SAR 10.14

14.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.69 SAR 6.34

-12.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.27

$14.98 SAR 56.2

119.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.65 SAR 2.44

187.69%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$27.0K SAR 101.5K

21.92%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$20.4K SAR 76.6K

56.50%

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

$183 €163

$104 SAR 392

75.03%

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

$14.24 €12.68

$36.05 SAR 135

-60.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.78

$75.8 SAR 284

-54.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.79

$79.5 SAR 298

-35.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.59

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$13.35 SAR 50.1

-17.15%

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

$944 €840

$428 SAR 1,605

120.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$8,508 SAR 31.9K

161.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$40.00 SAR 150

119.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.52

$47.44 SAR 178

-18.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$90.1 SAR 338

16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$91.1 SAR 342

29.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,511

$309 SAR 1,159

449.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$338 SAR 1,270

295.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,397

$556 SAR 2,087

384.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,849

$567 SAR 2,128

266.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,371

$1,966 SAR 7,379

263.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,522

$1,192 SAR 4,474

326.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,996

$1,716 SAR 6,442

30.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

5.54

-42.42%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tabuk: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Tabuk

$338 28.7% 74.7% $998

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Tabuk

$222 18.8% 32.3% $106

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Tabuk

$123 10.4% 54% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Tabuk

$216 18.4% 6.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Tabuk

$121 10.3% 22.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Tabuk

$106 9% 44.4% $33

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Tabuk

$52 4.4% 4.6% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $309 in Tabuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 31% 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 $31 in Tabuk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $222 per month, with Tabuk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 Tabuk

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

512,629

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Tabuk 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Tabuk

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 Tabuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,178 in Tabuk, so Tabuk is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $309 in Tabuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $428 in Tabuk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,178 in Tabuk versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tabuk but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Tabuk 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 Tabuk are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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