Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Yanbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yanbu: $1,021 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Yanbu
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Yanbu Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Yanbu

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Yanbu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,021 in Yanbu.

Barcelona $2,453
Yanbu $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,620 in Yanbu.

Barcelona $3,509
Yanbu $1,620

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,220 in Yanbu.

Barcelona $4,564
Yanbu $2,220

Living in Barcelona is roughly 140% more expensive than in Yanbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Yanbu is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$5.99 SAR 22.48

193.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$38.12 SAR 143

77.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$6.67 SAR 25.03

102.85%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.90 SAR 14.65

-18.21%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.82 SAR 3.07

254.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.18 SAR 0.68

950.00%

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

$1.71 SAR 6.40

-23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.94 SAR 3.52

114.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.20 SAR 8.26

-15.91%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.53 SAR 9.49

90.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$6.33 SAR 23.76

164.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.43 SAR 31.64

8.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$13.00 SAR 48.78

51.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.12 SAR 7.97

40.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.71 SAR 6.41

18.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.46 SAR 5.46

84.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.62 SAR 6.06

72.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.17 SAR 4.39

78.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.04 SAR 3.91

99.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.10 SAR 4.13

32.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.54 SAR 2.03

74.07%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.10

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.48 SAR 24.32

6.02%

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

$1.06 SAR 3.97

196.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$37.43 SAR 140

-32.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.15 SAR 11.82

-5.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.78 SAR 2.94

91.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$13.66 SAR 51.3

144.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.62 SAR 2.32

190.32%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$37.9K SAR 142.4K

-12.49%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$22.0K SAR 82.5K

44.18%

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

$180 €162

$91.4 SAR 343

97.30%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$22.38 SAR 84.0

-38.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$67.0 SAR 251

-49.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$95.6 SAR 359

-46.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$26.53 SAR 99.6

-39.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.78 SAR 44.21

-6.71%

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

$917 €821

$263 SAR 987

248.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$3,844 SAR 14.4K

328.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$74.3 SAR 279

17.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$57.7 SAR 217

-33.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$99.2 SAR 372

6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$93.5 SAR 351

28.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$315 SAR 1,181

440.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$211 SAR 790

543.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$610 SAR 2,288

326.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$414 SAR 1,552

398.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,702 SAR 6,387

306.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,237 SAR 4,644

314.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,411 SAR 12.8K

-35.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.39

-39.15%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yanbu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Yanbu

$210 20.6% 84.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Yanbu

$197 19.3% 38.9% $125

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Yanbu

$119 11.6% 55.7% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Yanbu

$181 17.7% 20.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Yanbu

$146 14.3% 7.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Yanbu

$119 11.7% 62.1% $46

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Yanbu

$49 4.8% 0.6% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $315 in Yanbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yanbu pays 54% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $38 in Yanbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $197 per month, with Yanbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇦 Yanbu

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

09:08 9:08 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

233,236

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Yanbu 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Yanbu

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 Yanbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,021 in Yanbu, so Yanbu is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $315 in Yanbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $263 in Yanbu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% 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. Yanbu 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 Yanbu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.