Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Damascus and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Damascus: $869 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Damascus
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Damascus Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$869

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Damascus and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Damascus and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $869 in Damascus versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Damascus $869
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Damascus versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Damascus $1,412
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,954 in Damascus versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Damascus $1,954
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Damascus costs roughly 64% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Damascus is 36% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 SYP 1,238

$17.94 €15.96

-43.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.87 SYP 5,209

$68.1 €60.5

-37.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 SYP 835

$13.28 €11.81

-48.27%

Cappuccino

$3.75 SYP 455

$3.25 €2.89

15.38%

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

$2.21 SYP 269

$3.01 €2.67

-26.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 SYP 108

$1.87 €1.66

-52.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 SYP 249

$3.85 €3.42

-46.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 SYP 489

$4.48 €3.98

-10.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 SYP 128

$1.29 €1.15

-17.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 SYP 50.1

$2.04 €1.81

-79.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 SYP 184

$1.72 €1.53

-11.63%

Eggs

$1.62 SYP 197

$4.77 €4.24

-66.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.96 SYP 482

$16.77 €14.92

-76.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 SYP 680

$8.93 €7.94

-37.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 SYP 1,664

$19.88 €17.68

-31.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 SYP 129

$2.98 €2.65

-64.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 SYP 166

$2.03 €1.80

-32.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 SYP 139

$2.73 €2.43

-57.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 SYP 128

$2.68 €2.38

-60.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.2

$2.10 €1.87

-62.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.5

$2.08 €1.85

-62.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 SYP 49.16

$1.45 €1.29

-72.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.2

$0.89 €0.79

-30.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 SYP 342

$6.94 €6.17

-59.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 SYP 740

$7.78 €6.92

-21.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 SYP 128

$1.45 €1.29

-26.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 SYP 345

$2.57 €2.29

10.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 SYP 28.02

$2.99 €2.66

-92.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.85 SYP 1,198

$25.20 €22.41

-60.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SYP 124

$3.12 €2.77

-67.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 SYP 179

$1.44 €1.28

2.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 SYP 938

$33.50 €29.80

-76.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.70 SYP 450

$1.79 €1.59

106.70%

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

$14.8K SYP 1.8M

$34.6K €30.8K

-57.23%

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

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

$30.1K €26.7K

-35.13%

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

$138 SYP 16.8K

$178 €158

-22.22%

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

$9.86 SYP 1,198

$13.32 €11.85

-25.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.41 SYP 5,518

$34.88 €31.03

30.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.67 SYP 3,363

$53.3 €47.37

-48.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.68 SYP 1,055

$16.01 €14.24

-45.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 SYP 675

$11.06 €9.84

-49.73%

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

$66.4 SYP 8,068

$957 €851

-93.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,758 SYP 213.6K

$16.6K €14.7K

-89.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.98 SYP 3,522

$88.2 €78.4

-67.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 SYP 4,907

$39.49 €35.12

2.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 SYP 7,215

$103 €91.5

-42.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 SYP 7,197

$121 €108

-51.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 SYP 63.8K

$1,653 €1,470

-68.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 SYP 22.8K

$1,302 €1,158

-85.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 SYP 101.3K

$2,557 €2,275

-67.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 SYP 57.3K

$1,915 €1,703

-75.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,700 SYP 206.6K

$7,286 €6,481

-76.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$607 SYP 73.8K

$5,080 €4,519

-88.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$72.9 SYP 8,855

$2,281 €2,029

-96.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

3.28

334.45%

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

Last update for Damascus: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Damascus

$194 22.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 16.8% $32

Accommodation & Living

Damascus

$188 21.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 593% $1.1K

Eating Out

Damascus

$178 20.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 51.9% $92

Groceries & Markets

Damascus

$168 19.3%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 90.9% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Damascus

$85 9.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 87.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Damascus

$39 4.5%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 94.3% $37

Getting Around

Damascus

$19 2.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 148% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $525 in Damascus and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 3030% 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: $43.00 in Damascus vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $168 vs $320 per month, with Damascus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Damascus

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

1 h behind Damascus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,414,913 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Damascus Barcelona 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Damascus
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Damascus vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Damascus and Barcelona differ by about 176% in total monthly costs ($869 vs $2,399 including rent). Damascus is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3030% 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: $525 in Damascus versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $66.4 in Damascus versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 91% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $869 in Damascus versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Damascus but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Damascus 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, Damascus and Barcelona 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 Damascus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 176% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.