Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Taif

For one person, living is cheaper in Taif: $1,271 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Taif

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,271 in Taif.

Barcelona $2,443
Taif $1,271

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,863 in Taif.

Barcelona $3,519
Taif $1,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,456 in Taif.

Barcelona $4,595
Taif $2,456

Living in Barcelona is roughly 92% more expensive than in Taif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Taif is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$5.39 SAR 20.22

227.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$37.10 SAR 139

81.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$7.55 SAR 28.35

80.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$2.20 SAR 8.27

40.91%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.63 SAR 2.37

376.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.22 SAR 0.81

777.27%

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

$1.81 SAR 6.80

-30.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.28 SAR 1.05

657.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.33 SAR 8.74

-15.45%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$2.68 SAR 10.05

77.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$5.82 SAR 21.83

193.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$6.93 SAR 26.01

29.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$9.46 SAR 35.52

118.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.45 SAR 9.19

28.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.75 SAR 6.56

12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.82 SAR 6.82

45.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.87 SAR 7.02

54.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.34 SAR 5.04

53.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.44 SAR 5.41

51.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.91 SAR 3.42

68.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.78 SAR 2.92

24.36%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.32

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 SAR 5.38

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 SAR 7.75

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$6.98 SAR 26.20

-0.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

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

$1.07 SAR 4.03

209.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

$37.71 SAR 142

-32.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.36 SAR 5.11

126.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.96 SAR 7.34

-24.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

$9.54 SAR 35.80

244.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.64 SAR 2.40

192.19%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$26.8K SAR 100.6K

23.02%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$21.4K SAR 80.5K

48.96%

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

$183 €163

$141 SAR 530

29.52%

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

$14.24 €12.69

$27.63 SAR 104

-48.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

$68.4 SAR 257

-49.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$143 SAR 538

-64.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

$13.26 SAR 49.75

23.53%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$19.64 SAR 73.7

-43.69%

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

$944 €841

$187 SAR 701

405.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$3,348 SAR 12.6K

565.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$41.65 SAR 156

110.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

$50.6 SAR 190

-23.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$94.2 SAR 354

10.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$86.6 SAR 325

35.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

$569 SAR 2,136

198.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$399 SAR 1,496

235.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$897 SAR 3,366

200.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$610 SAR 2,288

240.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

$1,992 SAR 7,478

259.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$1,188 SAR 4,459

327.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

$1,573 SAR 5,905

42.47%

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 Taif: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Taif

$399 31.4% 70.2% $938

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Taif

$181 14.2% 44.9% $147

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Taif

$96 7.5% 64.2% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Taif

$237 18.7% 2.4% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Taif

$123 9.7% 21.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Taif

$183 14.4% 149% $109

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Taif

$53 4.2% 7.7% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $569 in Taif. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 42% 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 $37 in Taif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $181 per month, with Taif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 Taif

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

04:07 4:07 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

579,970

💱 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 Taif 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Taif

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 Taif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,271 in Taif, so Taif is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% 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 $569 in Taif. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $187 in Taif. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Taif is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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