Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muscat and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Muscat: $1,556 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
Learn more

Muscat Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,556

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,556 in Muscat versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Muscat $1,556
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,299 in Muscat versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Muscat $2,299
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,042 in Muscat versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Muscat $3,042
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Muscat costs roughly 35% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Muscat 15% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 OMR 2.05

$17.94 €15.96

-70.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.12 OMR 15.06

$68.1 €60.5

-42.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 OMR 2.99

$13.28 €11.81

-41.57%

Cappuccino

$4.93 OMR 1.90

$3.25 €2.89

51.69%

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

$0.85 OMR 0.33

$3.01 €2.67

-71.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$1.87 €1.66

-85.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.87 OMR 4.95

$3.85 €3.42

234.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.07 OMR 5.03

$4.48 €3.98

191.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$1.29 €1.15

79.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 OMR 0.48

$2.04 €1.81

-39.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.72 €1.53

8.72%

Eggs

$3.02 OMR 1.16

$4.77 €4.24

-36.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 OMR 2.78

$16.77 €14.92

-56.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 OMR 2.66

$8.93 €7.94

-22.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.57 OMR 4.07

$19.88 €17.68

-46.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 OMR 1.35

$2.98 €2.65

17.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 OMR 0.77

$2.03 €1.80

-0.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 OMR 0.90

$2.73 €2.43

-14.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 OMR 0.49

$2.68 €2.38

-52.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 OMR 0.44

$2.10 €1.87

-44.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$2.08 €1.85

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 OMR 0.69

$1.45 €1.29

23.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 OMR 0.26

$0.89 €0.79

-23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 OMR 2.55

$6.94 €6.17

-4.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.83 OMR 6.09

$7.78 €6.92

103.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.03 OMR 2.32

$1.45 €1.29

315.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.33 OMR 3.98

$2.57 €2.29

301.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

$2.99 €2.66

-55.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 OMR 30.00

$25.20 €22.41

209.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 OMR 1.23

$3.12 €2.77

1.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 OMR 1.01

$1.44 €1.28

81.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 OMR 3.01

$33.50 €29.80

-76.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

$1.79 €1.59

-66.48%

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

$25.9K OMR 9,986

$34.6K €30.8K

-25.11%

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

$22.4K OMR 8,624

$30.1K €26.7K

-25.50%

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

$176 OMR 67.9

$178 €158

-0.89%

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

$28.30 OMR 10.90

$13.32 €11.85

112.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 OMR 27.28

$34.88 €31.03

103.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 OMR 24.14

$53.3 €47.37

17.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.94 OMR 11.53

$16.01 €14.24

87.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 OMR 4.05

$11.06 €9.84

-4.88%

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

$283 OMR 109

$957 €851

-70.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K OMR 4,070

$16.6K €14.7K

-36.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 OMR 21.79

$88.2 €78.4

-35.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.33 OMR 16.68

$39.49 €35.12

9.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 OMR 35.08

$103 €91.5

-11.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 OMR 33.28

$121 €108

-28.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 OMR 260

$1,653 €1,470

-59.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 OMR 177

$1,302 €1,158

-64.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 OMR 510

$2,557 €2,275

-48.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 OMR 313

$1,915 €1,703

-57.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,871 OMR 1,105

$7,286 €6,481

-60.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,614 OMR 621

$5,080 €4,519

-68.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,650 OMR 635

$2,281 €2,029

-27.67%

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 Muscat: 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

Muscat

$461 29.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 183% $841

Groceries & Markets

Muscat

$292 18.8%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 9.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muscat

$275 17.7%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 17.9% $49

Eating Out

Muscat

$220 14.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 22.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Muscat

$125 8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 26.8% $34

Getting Around

Muscat

$100 6.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 52.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Muscat

$84 5.4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 10% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $674 in Muscat and $1,653 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: $39.00 in Muscat vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $320 per month, with Muscat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Muscat

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

2 h behind Muscat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,090,797 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Muscat Barcelona 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Muscat
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

Muscat vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muscat and Barcelona differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($1,556 vs $2,399 including rent). Muscat is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Barcelona. 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: $674 in Muscat versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $283 in Muscat versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,556 in Muscat versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Muscat but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Muscat 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, Muscat 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 Muscat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.