Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arak and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Arak: $480 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Arak
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Arak Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Arak

🇮🇷 Iran

$480

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $480 in Arak versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Arak $480
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Arak versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Arak $755
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,030 in Arak versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Arak $1,030
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Arak costs roughly 80% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arak is 65% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 $3.55

$17.59 €15.80

-79.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.88 $12.88

$67.5 €60.6

-80.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 $4.09

$13.53 €12.15

-69.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Cappuccino

$1.33 $1.33

$3.19 €2.87

-58.31%

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

$0.51 $0.51

$2.91 €2.62

-82.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.89 €1.70

-12.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.31 €1.17

-58.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 $0.58

$2.02 €1.81

-71.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.85 €1.66

5.95%

Eggs

$1.28 $1.28

$4.83 €4.34

-73.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$16.74 €15.03

-87.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$9.12 €8.19

-72.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 $10.31

$19.64 €17.64

-47.51%

Apples (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.98 €2.68

-74.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.02 €1.81

-53.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 $0.63

$2.70 €2.43

-76.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.80 €2.52

-82.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 $0.42

$2.09 €1.87

-79.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 $0.44

$2.07 €1.86

-78.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.46 €1.31

-67.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 $0.28

$0.94 €0.84

-70.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 $2.52

$6.87 €6.17

-63.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 $0.10

$3.14 €2.82

-96.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.70 $9.70

$25.45 €22.86

-61.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.25 $0.25

$2.99 €2.69

-91.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.12 $0.12

$1.49 €1.34

-91.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 $1.02

$33.37 €29.98

-96.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.80 €1.61

-94.44%

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

$50.3K $50.3K

$33.2K €29.8K

51.69%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$31.7K €28.5K

10.26%

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

$10.03 $10.03

$180 €162

-94.44%

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

$1.43 $1.43

$13.84 €12.43

-89.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.01 $4.01

$33.70 €30.27

-88.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.93 $9.93

$51.5 €46.27

-80.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.64 $24.64

$15.96 €14.34

54.39%

Cinema Ticket

$1.11 $1.11

$10.99 €9.88

-89.90%

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

$83.3 $83.3

$917 €823

-90.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,372 $2,372

$16.5K €14.8K

-85.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.59 $13.59

$87.0 €78.2

-84.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.51 $8.51

$38.51 €34.59

-77.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 $81.9

$106 €95.1

-22.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.1 $52.1

$120 €108

-56.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 $294

$1,699 €1,527

-82.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 $210

$1,355 €1,217

-84.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 $781

$2,603 €2,338

-69.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 $357

$2,062 €1,853

-82.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,369 $1,369

$6,915 €6,211

-80.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$647 $647

$5,128 €4,606

-87.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$375 $375

$2,211 €1,986

-83.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

3.28

464.02%

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

Last update for Arak: 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

Arak

$210 43.7%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 547% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Arak

$96 20%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 235% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Arak

$70 14.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 125% $88

Eating Out

Arak

$65 13.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 310% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arak

$15 3.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 1373% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Arak

$12 2.5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 505% $61

Getting Around

Arak

$11 2.3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 342% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Arak and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in Arak vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $96 vs $322 per month, with Arak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Arak

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

2 h 30 min behind Arak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

526,200

1,660,122

💱 Currency

USD 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

Arak Barcelona 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Arak
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arak vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arak is about 80% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Arak. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $294 in Arak versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $480 per month in Arak versus $2,453 in Barcelona – Arak is about 80% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arak runs roughly 62% less than in Barcelona. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $480 in Arak versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Arak but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Arak 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, Arak and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Arak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.