Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dammam and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Dammam: $1,217 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Barcelona, Spain
Dammam
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,217
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dammam 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 Dammam and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,217 in Dammam versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

  • Dammam $1,217
  • Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,855 in Dammam versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

  • Dammam $1,855
  • Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,492 in Dammam versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

  • Dammam $2,492
  • Barcelona $4,595

Living in Dammam costs roughly 50% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dammam is 10% below, Barcelona is 81% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dammam
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.62 SAR 24.84
$17.66 €15.79
-62.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.86 SAR 150
$67.5 €60.3
-40.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.95 SAR 29.82
$13.61 €12.17
-41.59%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.79 SAR 6.71
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 SAR 6.65
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.68 SAR 13.80
$3.10 €2.77
18.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 SAR 2.84
$3.00 €2.68
-74.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 SAR 1.14
$1.93 €1.72
-84.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.84 €3.44
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.36 €3.90
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dammam
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 SAR 6.39
$1.25 €1.11
36.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 SAR 3.82
$2.12 €1.90
-51.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.32 SAR 8.72
$1.97 €1.76
17.77%
Eggs
$2.55 SAR 9.57
$4.76 €4.26
-46.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.78 SAR 25.45
$17.07 €15.26
-60.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.55 SAR 28.35
$8.96 €8.01
-15.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.23 SAR 49.65
$20.65 €18.46
-35.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 SAR 8.63
$3.16 €2.83
-27.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 SAR 6.07
$1.97 €1.76
-17.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.56 SAR 5.84
$2.65 €2.37
-41.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 SAR 5.87
$2.88 €2.58
-45.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 SAR 4.85
$2.06 €1.84
-37.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 SAR 5.01
$2.18 €1.95
-38.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 SAR 4.94
$1.53 €1.37
-13.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.64 SAR 2.40
$0.97 €0.87
-34.02%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.92 SAR 10.94
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 SAR 6.78
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 SAR 7.88
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.03 SAR 26.39
$6.97 €6.23
0.86%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$7.89 €7.05
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.42 €1.27
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.69 €2.40
-
🚌 Getting Around
Dammam
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 SAR 3.91
$3.31 €2.96
-68.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.48 SAR 152
$25.61 €22.90
58.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.62 SAR 9.82
$3.08 €2.76
-14.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 SAR 7.23
$1.48 €1.33
30.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.44 SAR 50.5
$32.87 €29.40
-59.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.61 SAR 2.28
$1.87 €1.67
-67.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.2K SAR 98.5K
$33.0K €29.5K
-20.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.1K SAR 86.7K
$31.9K €28.6K
-27.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dammam
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 SAR 390
$183 €164
-43.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.20 SAR 128
$14.24 €12.73
140.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.1 SAR 267
$34.56 €30.91
105.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dammam
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$95.7 SAR 359
$51.4 €45.98
86.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$37.15 SAR 139
$16.38 €14.65
126.80%
Cinema Ticket
$14.68 SAR 55.1
$11.06 €9.89
32.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dammam
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$358 SAR 1,343
$944 €844
-62.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,447 SAR 28.0K
$22.3K €19.9K
-66.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dammam
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.4 SAR 212
$87.7 €78.4
-35.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.4 SAR 234
$38.77 €34.67
60.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.8 SAR 311
$105 €93.5
-20.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.5 SAR 313
$118 €105
-29.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dammam
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$443 SAR 1,661
$1,697 €1,517
-73.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 SAR 1,402
$1,337 €1,195
-72.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$882 SAR 3,311
$2,692 €2,407
-67.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$621 SAR 2,330
$2,077 €1,857
-70.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,763 SAR 6,616
$7,155 €6,398
-75.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,082 SAR 4,061
$5,079 €4,542
-78.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dammam
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,241 €2,004
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.42
3.19
38.56%

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

Last update for Dammam: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Dammam
$374
Barcelona
$1.3K 258% $963
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dammam
$209
Barcelona
$232 10.8% $23
Groceries & Markets
Dammam
$199
Barcelona
$328 64.5% $129
Clothing & Footwear
Dammam
$128
Barcelona
$157 22.3% $29
Eating Out
Dammam
$125
Barcelona
$267 113% $142
Sport & Entertainment
Dammam
$125
Barcelona
$74 41.2% $51
Getting Around
Dammam
$57
Barcelona
$49 13.3% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $443 in Dammam and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40 in Dammam vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $328 per month, with Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Dammam
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
02:35 2:35 AM
00:35 12:35 AM
2 h behind Dammam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
903,312
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.2 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dammam Barcelona 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dammam
  • Barcelona

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
Dammam vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Dammam and in Barcelona?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,217 in Dammam and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Dammam is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Dammam compared to Barcelona?
You’d need roughly $1,826 in Dammam and $3,664 in Barcelona 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Dammam and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $443 in Dammam versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Dammam and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $358 in Dammam versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,217 in Dammam versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dammam but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Dammam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Where should families live: Dammam or Barcelona?
For families, Dammam is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Is Dammam or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Dammam and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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