Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jubail and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Jubail: $1,100 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Jubail
Learn more

Jubail Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Jubail

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,100

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,100 in Jubail versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Jubail $1,100
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,720 in Jubail versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Jubail $1,720
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,339 in Jubail versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Jubail $2,339
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Jubail costs roughly 55% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jubail is 19% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 SAR 25.60

$17.59 €15.76

-61.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.32 SAR 148

$67.5 €60.5

-41.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 SAR 34.03

$13.53 €12.12

-32.96%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 SAR 7.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.59

Cappuccino

$3.99 SAR 14.97

$3.19 €2.86

25.08%

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

$1.00 SAR 3.74

$2.91 €2.61

-65.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.06

$1.89 €1.70

-85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.31 €1.17

14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 SAR 5.45

$2.02 €1.81

-28.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.09

$1.85 €1.66

-12.43%

Eggs

$2.06 SAR 7.74

$4.83 €4.33

-57.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 SAR 36.85

$16.74 €15.00

-41.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 SAR 24.16

$9.12 €8.17

-29.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.15 SAR 45.57

$19.64 €17.60

-38.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 SAR 8.39

$2.98 €2.67

-24.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$2.02 €1.81

-12.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.87

$2.70 €2.42

-42.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.34

$2.80 €2.51

-39.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$2.09 €1.87

-38.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.25

$2.07 €1.85

-32.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$1.46 €1.31

19.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.04

$0.94 €0.84

-42.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.00 SAR 11.27

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SAR 7.63

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 SAR 24.90

$6.87 €6.16

-3.35%

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)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$3.14 €2.82

-58.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.90 SAR 89.7

$25.45 €22.80

-6.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$2.99 €2.68

8.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 SAR 10.27

$1.49 €1.34

83.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.54 SAR 50.8

$33.37 €29.91

-59.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.27

$1.80 €1.61

-66.11%

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

$26.8K SAR 100.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

-19.30%

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

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

$31.7K €28.4K

-31.60%

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

$80.1 SAR 301

$180 €162

-55.59%

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

$27.36 SAR 103

$13.84 €12.40

97.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 SAR 248

$33.70 €30.20

96.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$104 SAR 391

$51.5 €46.16

102.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.93 SAR 150

$15.96 €14.30

150.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 SAR 50.9

$10.99 €9.85

23.57%

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

$178 SAR 667

$917 €821

-80.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,690 SAR 28.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

-53.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.14 SAR 158

$87.0 €78.0

-51.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 SAR 222

$38.51 €34.51

53.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 SAR 300

$106 €94.8

-24.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 SAR 325

$120 €107

-27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 SAR 1,591

$1,699 €1,523

-75.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 SAR 1,105

$1,355 €1,214

-78.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 SAR 2,502

$2,603 €2,332

-74.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 SAR 1,950

$2,062 €1,848

-74.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,743 SAR 10.3K

$6,915 €6,196

-60.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,396 SAR 5,238

$5,128 €4,595

-72.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,605 SAR 6,021

$2,211 €1,981

-27.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.62

3.28

71.34%

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

Last update for Jubail: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jubail

$295 26.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 360% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Jubail

$199 18.1%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 61.7% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jubail

$174 15.8%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 31.3% $54

Eating Out

Jubail

$135 12.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 98.7% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Jubail

$131 11.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 44% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Jubail

$121 11%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 31% $37

Getting Around

Jubail

$46 4.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 5.2% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $424 in Jubail and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 38% 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: $39 in Jubail vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $322 per month, with Jubail cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jubail

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

2 h behind Jubail

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,778

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jubail Barcelona 4,590 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Jubail
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

Jubail vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,100 in Jubail and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Jubail is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Jubail. 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: $424 in Jubail versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $178 in Jubail versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% 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. Jubail 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, Jubail and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Jubail gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.