Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,001 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,001

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,001 in Baghdad versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Baghdad $1,001
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,472 in Baghdad versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Baghdad $1,472
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,943 in Baghdad versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Baghdad $1,943
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Baghdad costs roughly 58% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baghdad is 26% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.27 IQD 6,445

$17.94 €15.96

-76.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.18 IQD 44.1K

$68.1 €60.5

-57.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 IQD 10.2K

$13.28 €11.81

-49.02%

Cappuccino

$2.65 IQD 4,003

$3.25 €2.89

-18.46%

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

$0.35 IQD 530

$3.01 €2.67

-88.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$1.87 €1.66

-89.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 IQD 4,927

$3.85 €3.42

-15.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 IQD 4,868

$4.48 €3.98

-28.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,466

$1.29 €1.15

-24.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,097

$2.04 €1.81

-64.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 IQD 2,003

$1.72 €1.53

-22.67%

Eggs

$1.68 IQD 2,534

$4.77 €4.24

-64.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.25 IQD 4,912

$16.77 €14.92

-80.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 IQD 6,192

$8.93 €7.94

-54.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.41 IQD 18.8K

$19.88 €17.68

-37.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,523

$2.98 €2.65

-66.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,487

$2.03 €1.80

-51.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,444

$2.73 €2.43

-64.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,045

$2.68 €2.38

-74.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 842

$2.10 €1.87

-73.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 855

$2.08 €1.85

-72.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 IQD 806

$1.45 €1.29

-63.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 IQD 943

$0.89 €0.79

-30.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 IQD 2,534

$6.94 €6.17

-75.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 IQD 17.5K

$7.78 €6.92

49.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 IQD 2,863

$1.45 €1.29

30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 IQD 2,876

$2.57 €2.29

-26.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 IQD 858

$2.99 €2.66

-80.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.12 IQD 30.4K

$25.20 €22.41

-20.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 IQD 3,038

$3.12 €2.77

-35.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,029

$1.44 €1.28

-6.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.54 IQD 9,887

$33.50 €29.80

-80.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 810

$1.79 €1.59

-69.83%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

$34.6K €30.8K

-52.91%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

$30.1K €26.7K

-44.85%

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

$189 IQD 285.6K

$178 €158

6.27%

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

$17.44 IQD 26.4K

$13.32 €11.85

30.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.40 IQD 55.0K

$34.88 €31.03

4.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.49 IQD 62.7K

$53.3 €47.37

-22.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 IQD 28.0K

$16.01 €14.24

15.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

$11.06 €9.84

-12.84%

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

$145 IQD 218.9K

$957 €851

-84.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,046 IQD 4.6M

$16.6K €14.7K

-81.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.78 IQD 37.4K

$88.2 €78.4

-71.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.66 IQD 43.3K

$39.49 €35.12

-27.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.8 IQD 90.4K

$103 €91.5

-41.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.64 IQD 62.9K

$121 €108

-65.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 IQD 774.7K

$1,653 €1,470

-68.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 IQD 485.8K

$1,302 €1,158

-75.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$881 IQD 1.3M

$2,557 €2,275

-65.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$595 IQD 899.0K

$1,915 €1,703

-68.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,336 IQD 6.6M

$7,286 €6,481

-40.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,443 IQD 2.2M

$5,080 €4,519

-71.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$499 IQD 753.9K

$2,281 €2,029

-78.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

3.28

25.61%

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

Last update for Baghdad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baghdad

$322 32.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 305% $980

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$243 24.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 6.9% $17

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$164 16.4%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 95.7% $157

Eating Out

Baghdad

$111 11.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 143% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$70 7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 127% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$61 6.1%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 24% $15

Getting Around

Baghdad

$31 3.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 52.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $513 in Baghdad and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 357% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29.00 in Baghdad vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $320 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

1 h behind Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Baghdad Barcelona 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Baghdad
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

Baghdad vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 140% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 357% lower in Barcelona. 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: $513 in Baghdad 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 Baghdad runs roughly 25% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $145 in Baghdad versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,001 in Baghdad versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baghdad but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Baghdad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Baghdad delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,001 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Baghdad hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Baghdad 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 Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.