Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankara: $1,400 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,400

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,400 per month in Ankara vs $2,405 in Barcelona, rent included.

Ankara $1,400
Barcelona $2,405

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Ankara vs $3,477 in Barcelona, rent included.

Ankara $2,082
Barcelona $3,477

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Ankara vs $4,550 in Barcelona, rent included.

Ankara $2,763
Barcelona $4,550

Ankara is about 42% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ankara and Barcelona sit above the global median – Ankara by 4%, Barcelona by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.32 ₺509

$17.98 €16.05

-42.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.03 ₺2,070

$67.4 €60.2

-37.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.72 ₺479

$13.37 €11.93

-27.30%

Cappuccino

$3.99 ₺196

$3.34 €2.98

19.46%

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

$1.68 ₺82.5

$2.95 €2.64

-43.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₺37.15

$1.90 €1.69

-60.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 ₺248

$3.88 €3.46

29.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 ₺297

$4.57 €4.08

32.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₺57.5

$1.27 €1.13

-7.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ₺50.0

$1.96 €1.75

-47.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 ₺117

$1.75 €1.56

35.43%

Eggs

$2.64 ₺130

$4.89 €4.36

-46.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 ₺508

$17.47 €15.59

-40.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.54 ₺273

$9.06 €8.09

-38.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.01 ₺986

$20.18 €18.01

-0.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ₺96.1

$3.08 €2.75

-36.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.03 €1.81

12.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ₺65.3

$2.60 €2.32

-48.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ₺86.7

$2.71 €2.42

-35.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ₺33.50

$2.15 €1.92

-68.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$2.21 €1.97

-75.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₺50.4

$1.54 €1.38

-33.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₺33.14

$0.93 €0.83

-27.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 ₺113

$7.09 €6.32

-67.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 ₺615

$7.63 €6.81

63.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₺109

$1.49 €1.33

48.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₺158

$2.73 €2.43

17.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₺33.99

$2.95 €2.63

-76.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 ₺607

$25.91 €23.13

-52.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.7

$3.13 €2.80

-58.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺41.68

$1.45 €1.29

-41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.66 ₺328

$34.17 €30.49

-80.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₺68.1

$1.79 €1.60

-22.91%

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

$48.9K ₺2.4M

$34.7K €31.0K

40.85%

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

$41.2K ₺2.0M

$30.3K €27.0K

35.92%

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

$95.4 ₺4,699

$181 €161

-47.20%

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

$10.92 ₺538

$13.56 €12.10

-19.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.83 ₺878

$35.12 €31.34

-49.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 ₺3,568

$53.2 €47.44

36.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 ₺746

$16.05 €14.33

-5.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺397

$11.37 €10.14

-29.20%

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

$1,035 ₺51.0K

$939 €838

10.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K ₺981.9K

$16.5K €14.7K

20.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ₺2,645

$88.2 €78.7

-39.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.68 ₺2,349

$39.77 €35.49

19.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,107

$103 €92.3

0.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 ₺4,709

$119 €107

-19.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ₺37.2K

$1,695 €1,513

-55.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₺28.4K

$1,301 €1,161

-55.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 ₺57.3K

$2,576 €2,299

-54.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 ₺43.9K

$1,941 €1,732

-54.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,671 ₺82.3K

$7,470 €6,666

-77.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,171 ₺57.7K

$5,195 €4,636

-77.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 ₺54.2K

$2,299 €2,052

-52.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.57

3.28

1228.35%

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

Last update for Ankara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$577 41%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 126% $724

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$256 18.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 27% $69

Eating Out

Ankara

$207 14.7%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 31.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$135 9.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 16.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$124 8.8%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 84.8% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$89 6.3%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 14.3% $13

Getting Around

Ankara

$21 1.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 134% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Ankara versus $1,695 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 run about 109% higher in Barcelona, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Ankara versus $67.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $325 – making Ankara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

1 h behind Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankara Barcelona 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
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

Ankara vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 72% more than Ankara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,100 per month in Ankara and $3,607 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ankara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,035 per month in Ankara and $939 in Barcelona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Barcelona, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ankara, where all-in costs run around $1,400, than in Barcelona at $2,405. In Ankara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ankara costs $1,400 versus $2,405 in Barcelona. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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