Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,351 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,351

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Medina versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Medina $1,351
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,806 in Medina versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Medina $1,806
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,261 in Medina versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Medina $2,261
Barcelona $4,564

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 SAR 21.14

$17.59 €15.75

-67.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.66 SAR 119

$67.5 €60.5

-53.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 SAR 29.93

$13.53 €12.12

-41.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

Cappuccino

$2.61 SAR 9.78

$3.19 €2.86

-18.18%

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

$0.78 SAR 2.94

$2.91 €2.61

-73.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.86

$1.89 €1.70

-87.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

$1.31 €1.17

13.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.66

$2.02 €1.81

-51.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 SAR 8.61

$1.85 €1.66

24.32%

Eggs

$2.12 SAR 7.95

$4.83 €4.33

-56.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.38 SAR 20.20

$16.74 €14.99

-67.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 SAR 27.25

$9.12 €8.17

-20.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 SAR 48.16

$19.64 €17.59

-34.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 SAR 9.25

$2.98 €2.67

-17.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 SAR 7.25

$2.02 €1.81

-4.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.78

$2.70 €2.42

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.80

$2.80 €2.51

-44.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 SAR 5.30

$2.09 €1.87

-32.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.96

$2.07 €1.85

-36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 SAR 3.38

$1.46 €1.31

-38.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 SAR 2.61

$0.94 €0.84

-26.60%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.36 SAR 27.62

$6.87 €6.15

7.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

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)

$1.05 SAR 3.93

$3.14 €2.82

-66.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.74 SAR 142

$25.45 €22.79

48.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 SAR 4.90

$2.99 €2.68

-56.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 SAR 6.21

$1.49 €1.34

10.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 SAR 21.42

$33.37 €29.89

-82.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$1.80 €1.61

-65.00%

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

$42.7K SAR 160.4K

$33.2K €29.7K

28.75%

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

$20.9K SAR 78.3K

$31.7K €28.4K

-34.22%

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

$148 SAR 555

$180 €162

-18.03%

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

$27.56 SAR 103

$13.84 €12.39

99.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.2 SAR 335

$33.70 €30.18

164.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.9 SAR 292

$51.5 €46.13

51.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.84 SAR 33.19

$15.96 €14.29

-44.61%

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 SAR 49.42

$10.99 €9.85

19.84%

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

$293 SAR 1,101

$917 €821

-68.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,518 SAR 20.7K

$16.5K €14.8K

-66.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.11 SAR 139

$87.0 €77.9

-57.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.8 SAR 198

$38.51 €34.49

37.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.9 SAR 247

$106 €94.8

-37.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.1 SAR 256

$120 €107

-43.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 SAR 2,065

$1,699 €1,522

-67.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 SAR 1,999

$1,355 €1,214

-60.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 SAR 2,922

$2,603 €2,331

-70.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 SAR 2,179

$2,062 €1,847

-71.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,256 SAR 8,465

$6,915 €6,193

-67.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,362 SAR 5,112

$5,128 €4,592

-73.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,257 SAR 4,717

$2,211 €1,980

-43.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

3.28

27.13%

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

Last update for Medina: 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

Medina

$533 39.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 154% $823

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$265 19.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 13.9% $37

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$193 14.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 66.6% $129

Eating Out

Medina

$104 7.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 157% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$104 7.7%

Barcelona

$74 3% 29.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$101 7.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 56.8% $57

Getting Around

Medina

$52 3.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 5.9% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $550 in Medina and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 76% 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: $32 in Medina vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $322 per month, with Medina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

01:56 1:56 AM

2 h behind Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medina Barcelona 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medina
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

Medina vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,351 in Medina and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Medina is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Medina. 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: $550 in Medina versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $293 in Medina 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 67% 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. Medina 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, Medina and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Medina wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.