Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankeny, IA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankeny, IA: $2,340 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,340

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,340 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Ankeny, IA $2,340
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,308 in Ankeny, IA versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Ankeny, IA $3,308
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,275 in Ankeny, IA versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Ankeny, IA $4,275
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Ankeny, IA costs roughly 5% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ankeny, IA 72% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 $20.05

$17.59 €15.80

13.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 $79.4

$67.5 €60.6

17.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 $11.94

$13.53 €12.15

-11.75%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.19 €2.87

75.55%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$2.91 €2.62

4.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.89 €1.70

-9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$4.01 €3.60

25.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 $5.73

$4.53 €4.07

26.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.31 €1.17

-32.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.02 €1.81

48.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.85 €1.66

76.22%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$4.83 €4.34

-18.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 $9.84

$16.74 €15.03

-41.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 $8.29

$9.12 €8.19

-9.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 $14.78

$19.64 €17.64

-24.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.98 €2.68

83.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.02 €1.81

-25.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.70 €2.43

81.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.80 €2.52

30.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.09 €1.87

3.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.07 €1.86

60.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.46 €1.31

30.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.94 €0.84

170.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.83 $8.83

$6.87 €6.17

28.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 $14.94

$7.89 €7.08

89.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.41 €1.26

23.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.54 €2.28

-2.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.99 €2.69

-34.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.49 €1.34

-15.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.20 $20.20

$33.37 €29.98

-39.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.80 €1.61

-44.44%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$33.2K €29.8K

-20.92%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$31.7K €28.5K

-19.33%

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

$160 $160

$180 €162

-11.06%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$13.84 €12.43

281.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$33.70 €30.27

96.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 $74.6

$51.5 €46.27

44.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 $9.82

$10.99 €9.88

-10.65%

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

$1,095 $1,095

$917 €823

19.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$16.5K €14.8K

-27.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.07 $47.07

$87.0 €78.2

-45.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.51 $34.51

$38.51 €34.59

-10.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 $88.2

$106 €95.1

-16.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$120 €108

-1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 $1,107

$1,699 €1,527

-34.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 $1,157

$1,355 €1,217

-14.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 $1,968

$2,603 €2,338

-24.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 $1,600

$2,062 €1,853

-22.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,485 $5,485

$2,211 €1,986

148.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

3.28

94.21%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankeny, IA

$1.2K 49.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 17.1% $198

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$352 15.1%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 8.6% $30

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$319 13.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 16% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$280 12%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 18.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 21.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$94 4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 22% $21

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.3 * 0.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 485% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Ankeny, IA and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79 in Ankeny, IA vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

23:13 11:13 PM

6 h ahead of Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ankeny, IA Barcelona 7,500 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankeny, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,340 in Ankeny, IA and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Ankeny, IA is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ankeny, IA is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $1,107 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,340 per month in Ankeny, IA versus $2,453 in Barcelona – Ankeny, IA is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Ankeny, IA gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Ankeny, IA and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.