Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: $953 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $953
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,433 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,433
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,914
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos costs roughly 60% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Madinat As Sultan Qaboos is 29% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.29 OMR 2.04

$17.94 €15.96

-70.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.70 OMR 15.29

$68.1 €60.5

-41.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 OMR 2.99

$13.28 €11.81

-41.57%

Cappuccino

$4.94 OMR 1.90

$3.25 €2.89

52.00%

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

$0.84 OMR 0.32

$3.01 €2.67

-72.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$1.87 €1.66

-84.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 OMR 4.97

$3.85 €3.42

235.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.93 OMR 4.98

$4.48 €3.98

188.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$1.29 €1.15

79.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$2.04 €1.81

-41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 OMR 0.70

$1.72 €1.53

5.81%

Eggs

$3.03 OMR 1.17

$4.77 €4.24

-36.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$16.77 €14.92

-57.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 OMR 2.70

$8.93 €7.94

-21.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 OMR 4.07

$19.88 €17.68

-46.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 OMR 1.38

$2.98 €2.65

20.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 OMR 0.78

$2.03 €1.80

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 OMR 0.90

$2.73 €2.43

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 OMR 0.50

$2.68 €2.38

-51.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 OMR 0.45

$2.10 €1.87

-44.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$2.08 €1.85

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 OMR 0.71

$1.45 €1.29

27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 OMR 0.27

$0.89 €0.79

-20.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 OMR 2.56

$6.94 €6.17

-4.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 OMR 6.07

$7.78 €6.92

102.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.08 OMR 2.34

$1.45 €1.29

319.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 OMR 3.93

$2.57 €2.29

297.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 OMR 1.28

$3.12 €2.77

6.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.98

$1.44 €1.28

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 OMR 2.98

$33.50 €29.80

-76.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.79 €1.59

-64.25%

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

$25.3K OMR 9,736

$34.6K €30.8K

-26.98%

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

$22.3K OMR 8,570

$30.1K €26.7K

-25.97%

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

$176 OMR 67.9

$178 €158

-0.87%

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

$31.16 OMR 12.00

$13.32 €11.85

133.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 OMR 27.51

$34.88 €31.03

104.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 OMR 4.01

$11.06 €9.84

-5.70%

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

$292 OMR 112

$957 €851

-69.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,033

$16.6K €14.7K

-36.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 OMR 21.33

$88.2 €78.4

-37.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.86 OMR 16.89

$39.49 €35.12

11.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 OMR 34.12

$103 €91.5

-13.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 OMR 34.02

$121 €108

-27.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

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)

$2,281 €2,029

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

3.28

60.06%

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

Last update for Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$293 30.7%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 9.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$279 29.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 19% $53

Eating Out

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$220 23.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 22.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$124 13%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 27.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$21 * 2.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 262% $55

Getting Around

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$16 * 1.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 195% $31

Accommodation & Living

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

- * 0%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40.00 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $320 per month, with Madinat As Sultan Qaboos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

2 h behind Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Barcelona 5,530 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Barcelona differ by about 152% in total monthly costs ($953 vs $2,399 including rent). Madinat As Sultan Qaboos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,430 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and $3,599 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.

Childcare runs $292 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 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, Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.