Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Barcelona

😐 Solo nomad: Dubai is 19.5% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 25.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 11.7% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 29.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dubai
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.02 AED 40.48
$17.41 €15.03
-36.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.4 AED 295
$68.7 €59.3
16.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.33 AED 34.28
$13.71 €11.84
-31.95%
Cappuccino
$5.49 AED 20.15
$2.78 €2.4
97.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 AED 4.57
$2.8 €2.42
-55.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 AED 3.22
$1.98 €1.71
-55.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.4 AED 45.55
$4.43 €3.83
179.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$13.52 AED 49.66
$4.53 €3.91
198.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dubai
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.01 AED 7.36
$1.24 €1.07
62.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.42 AED 5.22
$2.03 €1.75
-30.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.27 AED 8.32
$1.98 €1.71
14.65%
Eggs
$3.31 AED 12.15
$3.46 €2.99
-4.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 AED 37.4
$18.32 €15.82
-44.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.18 AED 33.71
$9.82 €8.47
-6.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.76 AED 46.85
$19.24 €16.61
-33.68%
Apples (1kg)
$2.3 AED 8.44
$2.61 €2.25
-11.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 AED 6.85
$2.34 €2.02
-20.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 AED 6.82
$2.11 €1.82
-11.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 AED 5.48
$2.77 €2.39
-46.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 AED 4.39
$2.04 €1.76
-41.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 AED 4.64
$1.77 €1.53
-28.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.4 AED 5.13
$1.5 €1.3
-6.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 AED 2.38
$0.85 €0.73
-23.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.7 AED 24.61
$7 €6.04
-4.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.32 AED 59.9
$7.13 €6.16
128.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.64 AED 9.68
$1.43 €1.24
84.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 AED 12.92
$2.29 €1.98
53.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Dubai
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.59 AED 5.84
$3.02 €2.6
-47.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.7 AED 296
$28.97 €25.01
178.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 AED 11.83
$4.59 €3.96
-29.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 AED 3.14
$2.02 €1.74
-57.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.37 AED 30.73
$29.56 €25.53
-71.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 AED 2.65
$1.81 €1.56
-60.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33K AED 121K
$38.4K €33.1K
-14.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K AED 83.3K
$32.4K €28K
-29.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dubai
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$217 AED 796
$190 €164
14.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$63.4 AED 233
$22.18 €19.15
185.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$101 AED 371
$36.37 €31.4
177.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dubai
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$89.1 AED 327
$57.4 €49.55
55.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$46.03 AED 169
$20.95 €18.09
119.71%
Cinema Ticket
$14.96 AED 54.9
$10.8 €9.33
38.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dubai
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$833 AED 3,060
$732 €632
13.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.3K AED 52.4K
$15.1K €13.1K
-5.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dubai
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.3 AED 306
$86.8 €74.9
-3.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.7 AED 234
$36.78 €31.76
73.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 AED 413
$102 €88.2
10.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 AED 447
$117 €101
3.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dubai
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,421 AED 8,892
$1,581 €1,365
53.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,560 AED 5,729
$1,230 €1,062
26.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,608 AED 16.9K
$2,707 €2,337
70.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,940 AED 10.8K
$2,028 €1,751
44.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,378 AED 27.1K
$6,602 €5,700
11.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,803 AED 14K
$5,045 €4,356
-24.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dubai
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,063 AED 14.9K
$2,198 €1,898
84.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.49
3.39
32.45%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 27, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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