Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ames, IA: $2,142 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,142 in Ames, IA versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Ames, IA $2,142
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,242 in Ames, IA versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Ames, IA $3,242
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,342 in Ames, IA versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Ames, IA $4,342
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Ames, IA costs roughly 11% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ames, IA 59% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.13 $18.13

$17.94 €15.96

1.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 $52.0

$68.1 €60.5

-23.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$13.28 €11.81

-8.28%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$3.25 €2.89

49.85%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$3.01 €2.67

-13.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.87 €1.66

20.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.85 €3.42

5.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.48 €3.98

52.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.29 €1.15

-31.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.04 €1.81

74.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.72 €1.53

89.53%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$4.77 €4.24

-29.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$16.77 €14.92

-39.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 $13.62

$8.93 €7.94

52.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$19.88 €17.68

-4.18%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.98 €2.65

97.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.03 €1.80

-10.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$2.73 €2.43

145.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.68 €2.38

94.78%

Potato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.10 €1.87

116.19%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.08 €1.85

95.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.45 €1.29

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.89 €0.79

174.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$6.94 €6.17

87.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 $16.11

$7.78 €6.92

107.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.45 €1.29

97.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.57 €2.29

93.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.99 €2.66

-66.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.57 $35.57

$25.20 €22.41

41.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.12 €2.77

63.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.44 €1.28

17.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$33.50 €29.80

-27.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.79 €1.59

-46.37%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

-28.58%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$30.1K €26.7K

-16.61%

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

$176 $176

$178 €158

-0.87%

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

$54.3 $54.3

$13.32 €11.85

307.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$34.88 €31.03

104.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 $69.0

$53.3 €47.37

29.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$16.01 €14.24

23.30%

Cinema Ticket

$15.97 $15.97

$11.06 €9.84

44.39%

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

$1,370 $1,370

$957 €851

43.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K $36.1K

$16.6K €14.7K

118.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$88.2 €78.4

-33.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.68 $44.68

$39.49 €35.12

13.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$103 €91.5

-12.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$121 €108

-13.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$1,653 €1,470

-39.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$822 $822

$1,302 €1,158

-36.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$2,557 €2,275

-27.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$1,915 €1,703

-21.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 $2,432

$7,286 €6,481

-66.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$5,080 €4,519

-56.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,597 $3,597

$2,281 €2,029

57.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

3.28

95.43%

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

Last update for Ames, IA: 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

Ames, IA

$822 38.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 58.3% $480

Groceries & Markets

Ames, IA

$436 20.4%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 26.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ames, IA

$302 14.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 25.1% $76

Eating Out

Ames, IA

$293 13.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 7.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ames, IA

$134 6.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 18.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Ames, IA

$101 4.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 25.3% $26

Getting Around

Ames, IA

$53 2.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 10.6% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,005 in Ames, IA and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52.0 in Ames, IA vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $436 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

20:46 8:46 PM

7 h ahead of Ames, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,427

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ames, IA Barcelona 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ames, IA
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

Ames, IA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ames, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ames, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Ames, IA, 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: $1,005 in Ames, IA versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ames, IA runs roughly 41% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,370 in Ames, IA versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,142 in Ames, IA versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ames, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ames, IA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ames, IA delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,142 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ames, IA hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ames, IA 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 Ames, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.