Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-'amarah and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-’amarah: $672 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
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Al-'amarah Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$672

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $672 per month in Al-’amarah vs $2,453 in Barcelona, rent included.

Al-'amarah $672
Barcelona $2,453

A couple spends around $1,023 per month in Al-’amarah vs $3,509 in Barcelona, rent included.

Al-'amarah $1,023
Barcelona $3,509

A family of three spends $1,373 per month in Al-’amarah vs $4,564 in Barcelona, rent included.

Al-'amarah $1,373
Barcelona $4,564

Al-’amarah is about 73% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Al-’amarah sits 51% below the global median, while Barcelona is 80% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 IQD 6,163

$17.59 €15.75

-76.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.39 IQD 29.3K

$67.5 €60.5

-71.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 IQD 9,501

$13.53 €12.12

-53.51%

Cappuccino

$2.23 IQD 3,364

$3.19 €2.86

-30.09%

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

$0.38 IQD 575

$2.91 €2.61

-86.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 311

$1.89 €1.70

-88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 IQD 4,555

$4.01 €3.59

-24.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 IQD 3,705

$4.53 €4.06

-45.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,494

$1.31 €1.17

-24.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,014

$2.02 €1.81

-66.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,090

$1.85 €1.66

-25.41%

Eggs

$1.59 IQD 2,409

$4.83 €4.33

-67.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.88 IQD 5,856

$16.74 €14.99

-76.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 IQD 5,192

$9.12 €8.17

-62.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 IQD 20.1K

$19.64 €17.59

-32.18%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$2.98 €2.67

-68.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,474

$2.02 €1.81

-51.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,368

$2.70 €2.42

-66.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 951

$2.80 €2.51

-77.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 836

$2.09 €1.87

-73.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 950

$2.07 €1.85

-69.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 IQD 848

$1.46 €1.31

-61.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 715

$0.94 €0.84

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.48 IQD 2,231

$6.87 €6.15

-78.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

$7.89 €7.06

53.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 IQD 2,545

$1.41 €1.26

19.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,798

$2.54 €2.27

-27.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 IQD 438

$3.14 €2.82

-90.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$2.99 €2.68

-40.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 IQD 1,766

$1.49 €1.34

-21.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 IQD 8,252

$33.37 €29.89

-83.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 878

$1.80 €1.61

-67.78%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$33.2K €29.7K

-46.95%

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

$14.7K IQD 22.2M

$31.7K €28.4K

-53.73%

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

$97.8 IQD 147.8K

$180 €162

-45.78%

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

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

$13.84 €12.39

5.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.47 IQD 43.0K

$33.70 €30.18

-15.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

$51.5 €46.13

-29.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

$10.99 €9.85

-17.74%

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

$143 IQD 216.2K

$917 €821

-84.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,964 IQD 4.5M

$16.5K €14.8K

-82.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.18 IQD 35.0K

$87.0 €77.9

-73.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.01 IQD 33.3K

$38.51 €34.49

-42.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 IQD 103.0K

$106 €94.8

-35.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.78 IQD 49.5K

$120 €107

-72.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 IQD 308.8K

$1,699 €1,522

-87.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 IQD 211.8K

$1,355 €1,214

-89.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 IQD 555.9K

$2,603 €2,331

-85.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 IQD 433.4K

$2,062 €1,847

-86.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$863 IQD 1.3M

$6,915 €6,193

-87.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$486 IQD 733.7K

$5,128 €4,592

-90.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$434 IQD 655.1K

$2,211 €1,980

-80.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

3.28

25.61%

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

Last update for Al-'amarah: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-'amarah

$162 24.1%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 98.9% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-'amarah

$141 21%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 61.8% $87

Accommodation & Living

Al-'amarah

$140 20.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 867% $1.2K

Eating Out

Al-'amarah

$101 15%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 167% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Al-'amarah

$66 9.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 140% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Al-'amarah

$55 8.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 34.8% $19

Getting Around

Al-'amarah

$8.8 * 1.3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 451% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $204 in Al-’amarah versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Barcelona are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Al-’amarah versus $67 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $322 – making Al-’amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:21 11:21 PM

21:21 9:21 PM

2 h behind Al-'amarah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

511,542

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

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

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al-'amarah Barcelona 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Al-'amarah
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

Al-'amarah vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 265%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,009 per month in Al-’amarah and $3,679 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-’amarah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Al-’amarah and $67 in Barcelona. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 99% more in Barcelona, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-’amarah, where all-in costs run around $672, than in Barcelona at $2,453. In Al-’amarah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-’amarah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Al-’amarah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.