Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Riyadh: $1,738 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Riyadh $1,738
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,567 in Riyadh versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Riyadh $2,567
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,396 in Riyadh versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Riyadh $3,396
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Riyadh costs roughly 28% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riyadh 29% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.35

$17.94 €15.96

-54.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 SAR 249

$68.1 €60.5

-2.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 SAR 30.64

$13.28 €11.81

-38.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.79

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$4.25 SAR 15.96

$3.25 €2.89

30.77%

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

$0.91 SAR 3.41

$3.01 €2.67

-69.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 SAR 1.20

$1.87 €1.66

-82.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.29 €1.15

36.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 SAR 4.72

$2.04 €1.81

-38.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 SAR 9.13

$1.72 €1.53

41.28%

Eggs

$3.13 SAR 11.76

$4.77 €4.24

-34.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.69 SAR 40.11

$16.77 €14.92

-36.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 SAR 35.41

$8.93 €7.94

5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 SAR 57.0

$19.88 €17.68

-23.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 SAR 10.65

$2.98 €2.65

-4.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 SAR 7.36

$2.03 €1.80

-3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 SAR 9.51

$2.73 €2.43

-7.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.37

$2.68 €2.38

-36.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.44

$2.10 €1.87

-43.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.81

$2.08 €1.85

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 SAR 6.37

$1.45 €1.29

17.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 SAR 2.12

$0.89 €0.79

-35.96%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.83 SAR 29.38

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 SAR 6.77

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.50 SAR 28.15

$6.94 €6.17

8.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$2.99 €2.66

-64.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.34 SAR 140

$25.20 €22.41

48.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 SAR 11.69

$3.12 €2.77

-0.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 SAR 6.79

$1.44 €1.28

25.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.23 SAR 49.66

$33.50 €29.80

-60.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.79 €1.59

-63.69%

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

$34.7K SAR 130.1K

$34.6K €30.8K

0.08%

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

$22.9K SAR 85.8K

$30.1K €26.7K

-23.92%

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

$106 SAR 396

$178 €158

-40.68%

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

$29.61 SAR 111

$13.32 €11.85

122.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 SAR 265

$34.88 €31.03

102.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.6 SAR 344

$53.3 €47.37

71.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.9 SAR 214

$16.01 €14.24

255.47%

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 SAR 49.11

$11.06 €9.84

18.35%

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

$523 SAR 1,963

$957 €851

-45.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

$16.6K €14.7K

-38.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 SAR 221

$88.2 €78.4

-33.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 SAR 199

$39.49 €35.12

34.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 379

$103 €91.5

-1.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SAR 386

$121 €108

-15.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 SAR 4,425

$1,653 €1,470

-28.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,122

$1,302 €1,158

-36.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 SAR 8,359

$2,557 €2,275

-12.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 SAR 4,595

$1,915 €1,703

-36.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,996 SAR 11.2K

$7,286 €6,481

-58.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,913 SAR 7,177

$5,080 €4,519

-62.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,067 SAR 7,757

$2,281 €2,029

-9.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

3.28

68.90%

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

Last update for Riyadh: 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

Riyadh

$832 47.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 56.4% $470

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$242 13.9%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 32.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$206 11.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 9.8% $20

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 86.1% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$142 8.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 11.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$118 6.8%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 36% $42

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 11.8% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Riyadh and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 10% 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: $66.0 in Riyadh vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $320 per month, with Riyadh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

1 h behind Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Riyadh Barcelona 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
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

Riyadh vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riyadh and Barcelona differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,738 vs $2,399 including rent). Riyadh is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% 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: $1,179 in Riyadh versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $523 in Riyadh 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 33% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,738 in Riyadh versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Riyadh but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Riyadh 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, Riyadh 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 Riyadh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.