Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhahran and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,317 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,317 in Dhahran versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Dhahran $1,317
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,671 in Dhahran versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Dhahran $1,671
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,026 in Dhahran versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Dhahran $2,026
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Dhahran costs roughly 45% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dhahran is 2% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 SAR 19.90

$17.94 €15.96

-70.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.17 SAR 147

$68.1 €60.5

-42.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.35 SAR 23.81

$13.28 €11.81

-52.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$4.01 SAR 15.03

$3.25 €2.89

23.38%

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

$0.74 SAR 2.76

$3.01 €2.67

-75.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.70

$1.87 €1.66

-89.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.29 €1.15

27.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$2.04 €1.81

-52.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.41

$1.72 €1.53

14.53%

Eggs

$3.87 SAR 14.54

$4.77 €4.24

-18.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 SAR 32.23

$16.77 €14.92

-48.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 SAR 40.97

$8.93 €7.94

22.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$19.88 €17.68

-30.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

$2.98 €2.65

-27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.21

$2.03 €1.80

-31.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$2.73 €2.43

-34.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

$2.68 €2.38

-32.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$2.10 €1.87

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$2.08 €1.85

-53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SAR 7.39

$1.45 €1.29

35.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 SAR 3.19

$0.89 €0.79

-4.49%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 SAR 20.92

$6.94 €6.17

-19.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 SAR 3.11

$2.99 €2.66

-72.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$3.12 €2.77

-56.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$1.44 €1.28

125.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 SAR 35.73

$33.50 €29.80

-71.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.79 €1.59

-63.69%

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

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

53.68%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

$30.1K €26.7K

-31.20%

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

$59.0 SAR 221

$178 €158

-66.82%

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

$42.19 SAR 158

$13.32 €11.85

216.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 SAR 244

$34.88 €31.03

86.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$195 SAR 731

$53.3 €47.37

265.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$93.5 SAR 351

$16.01 €14.24

484.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 SAR 39.62

$11.06 €9.84

-4.52%

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

$65.3 SAR 245

$957 €851

-93.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

$16.6K €14.7K

-19.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 SAR 190

$88.2 €78.4

-42.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.79 SAR 157

$39.49 €35.12

5.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 SAR 289

$103 €91.5

-25.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 SAR 339

$121 €108

-25.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$1,653 €1,470

-78.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 SAR 1,700

$1,302 €1,158

-65.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

$2,281 €2,029

22.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

3.28

37.20%

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

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dhahran

$453 34.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 187% $849

Groceries & Markets

Dhahran

$231 17.6%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 38.4% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Dhahran

$216 16.4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 65.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhahran

$166 12.6%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 36.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Dhahran

$117 8.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 35.6% $42

Eating Out

Dhahran

$113 8.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 139% $157

Getting Around

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 127% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $361 in Dhahran and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhahran pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Dhahran vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $320 per month, with Dhahran cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

1 h behind Dhahran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,521

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhahran Barcelona 4,670 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhahran
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

Dhahran vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhahran and Barcelona differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($1,317 vs $2,399 including rent). Dhahran is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Dhahran, 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: $361 in Dhahran versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $65.3 in Dhahran versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhahran – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,317 in Dhahran versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dhahran but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Dhahran 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, Dhahran 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 Dhahran gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.