Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ardabil and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ardabil: $508 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Ardabil
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Ardabil Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ardabil

🇮🇷 Iran

$508

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $508 in Ardabil versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Ardabil $508
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $807 in Ardabil versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Ardabil $807
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,106 in Ardabil versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Ardabil $1,106
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Ardabil costs roughly 79% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ardabil is 63% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.89 $2.89

$17.59 €15.80

-83.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.95 $14.95

$67.5 €60.6

-77.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 $3.92

$13.53 €12.15

-71.03%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.70 $0.70

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

Cappuccino

$1.20 $1.20

$3.19 €2.87

-62.38%

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

$0.51 $0.51

$2.91 €2.62

-82.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.89 €1.70

-45.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.31 €1.17

-50.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 $0.49

$2.02 €1.81

-75.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.85 €1.66

9.73%

Eggs

$1.15 $1.15

$4.83 €4.34

-76.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$16.74 €15.03

-73.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$9.12 €8.19

-63.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$19.64 €17.64

-47.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.98 €2.68

-60.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.02 €1.81

-30.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.70 €2.43

-67.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 $0.53

$2.80 €2.52

-81.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 $0.50

$2.09 €1.87

-76.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$2.07 €1.86

-77.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.46 €1.31

-67.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 $0.23

$0.94 €0.84

-75.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.85 $0.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 $0.53

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 $2.25

$6.87 €6.17

-67.25%

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)

$0.15 $0.15

$3.14 €2.82

-95.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 $8.58

$25.45 €22.86

-66.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 $0.43

$2.99 €2.69

-85.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 $0.30

$1.49 €1.34

-79.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 $2.32

$33.37 €29.98

-93.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.80 €1.61

-94.44%

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

$42.9K $42.9K

$33.2K €29.8K

29.31%

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

$40.4K $40.4K

$31.7K €28.5K

27.41%

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

$14.32 $14.32

$180 €162

-92.06%

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

$1.70 $1.70

$13.84 €12.43

-87.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.40 $3.40

$33.70 €30.27

-89.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.84 $15.84

$51.5 €46.27

-69.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.71 $14.71

$15.96 €14.34

-7.83%

Cinema Ticket

$1.98 $1.98

$10.99 €9.88

-81.98%

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

$93.6 $93.6

$917 €823

-89.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,121 $2,121

$16.5K €14.8K

-87.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.25 $21.25

$87.0 €78.2

-75.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.29 $25.29

$38.51 €34.59

-34.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 $96.5

$106 €95.1

-8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 $65.6

$120 €108

-45.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$292 $292

$1,699 €1,527

-82.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 $196

$1,355 €1,217

-85.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$775 $775

$2,603 €2,338

-70.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$339 $339

$2,062 €1,853

-83.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,188 $1,188

$6,915 €6,211

-82.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$506 $506

$5,128 €4,606

-90.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

3.28

640.85%

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

Last update for Ardabil: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ardabil

$196 38.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 592% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Ardabil

$112 22.1%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 186% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Ardabil

$94 18.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 68.2% $64

Eating Out

Ardabil

$55 10.9%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 383% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Ardabil

$20 3.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 271% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ardabil

$19 3.8%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 1074% $209

Getting Around

Ardabil

$11 2.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 337% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $292 in Ardabil and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $15 in Ardabil vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $112 vs $322 per month, with Ardabil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Ardabil

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

17:46 5:46 PM

2 h 30 min behind Ardabil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

482,632

1,660,122

💱 Currency

USD USD

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ardabil Barcelona 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ardabil
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

Ardabil vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ardabil is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 383% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $762 in Ardabil and $3,679 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $292 in Ardabil versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ardabil runs roughly 66% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $94 in Ardabil versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $508 in Ardabil versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ardabil but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ardabil 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, Ardabil 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 Ardabil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.