Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ruwi and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ruwi: $639 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ruwi

🇴🇲 Oman

$639

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $639 in Ruwi versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Ruwi $639
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $833 in Ruwi versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Ruwi $833
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,028 in Ruwi versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Ruwi $1,028
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Ruwi costs roughly 73% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ruwi is 53% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

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

$3.01 €2.67

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 OMR 0.77

$1.29 €1.15

54.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 OMR 0.76

$2.04 €1.81

-2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 OMR 0.38

$1.72 €1.53

-42.44%

Eggs

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$4.77 €4.24

-75.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.03 OMR 0.78

$16.77 €14.92

-87.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.05 OMR 0.79

$8.93 €7.94

-77.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.93 OMR 1.90

$19.88 €17.68

-75.20%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 OMR 0.38

$2.98 €2.65

-67.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 OMR 0.39

$2.03 €1.80

-49.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 OMR 0.39

$2.73 €2.43

-62.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 OMR 0.40

$2.68 €2.38

-61.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 OMR 0.38

$2.10 €1.87

-52.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 OMR 0.38

$1.45 €1.29

-32.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 OMR 0.39

$0.89 €0.79

14.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

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)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

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

$34.6K €30.8K

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

$30.1K €26.7K

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

$178 €158

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

$25.53 OMR 9.83

$13.32 €11.85

91.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 OMR 30.55

$34.88 €31.03

127.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$8.97 OMR 3.45

$11.06 €9.84

-18.90%

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

$957 €851

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 OMR 152

$1,653 €1,470

-76.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 OMR 153

$1,302 €1,158

-69.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 OMR 347

$2,557 €2,275

-64.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 OMR 224

$1,915 €1,703

-69.64%

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)

$4,398 OMR 1,693

$2,281 €2,029

92.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Ruwi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ruwi

–

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Groceries & Markets

Ruwi

–

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Eating Out

Ruwi

–

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ruwi

–

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Ruwi

–

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Ruwi

–

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Getting Around

Ruwi

–

Barcelona

$47 2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $396 in Ruwi and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ruwi pays 93% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Ruwi

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

09:39 9:39 AM

2 h behind Ruwi

🌤 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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Highest

Between locations

Ruwi Barcelona 5,540 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ruwi
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

Ruwi vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ruwi and Barcelona differ by about 276% in total monthly costs ($639 vs $2,399 including rent). Ruwi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 93% higher in Ruwi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $396 in Ruwi versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 170% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $639 per month in Ruwi versus $2,399 in Barcelona – a 276% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $639 in Ruwi versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ruwi but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ruwi 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, Ruwi 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 Ruwi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 276% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.