Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Al-mawsil

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $597 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
Learn more

Al-mawsil Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Al-mawsil

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Al-mawsil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $597 in Al-mawsil.

Barcelona $2,443
Al-mawsil $597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $906 in Al-mawsil.

Barcelona $3,519
Al-mawsil $906

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,214 in Al-mawsil.

Barcelona $4,595
Al-mawsil $1,214

Living in Barcelona is roughly 309% more expensive than in Al-mawsil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Al-mawsil is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$4.17 IQD 6,296

323.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$10.66 IQD 16.1K

532.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$4.81 IQD 7,265

182.95%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$0.68 IQD 1,029

355.88%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$0.32 IQD 482

837.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.18 IQD 265

972.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$0.81 IQD 1,224

374.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$1.34 IQD 2,029

225.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.69 IQD 1,037

81.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$0.65 IQD 976

226.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.58 IQD 872

239.66%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$0.95 IQD 1,435

401.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$7.22 IQD 10.9K

136.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$2.99 IQD 4,522

199.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$7.89 IQD 11.9K

161.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$0.68 IQD 1,031

364.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.68 IQD 1,033

189.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$0.49 IQD 738

440.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$0.24 IQD 364

1100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.27 IQD 410

662.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.32 IQD 482

581.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.60 IQD 911

155.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.52 IQD 779

86.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$1.61 IQD 2,425

332.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

-26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.48 IQD 2,237

-4.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.86 IQD 2,810

44.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.35 IQD 523

845.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$25.92 IQD 39.2K

-1.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.67 IQD 2,521

84.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.55 IQD 2,349

-4.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$3.98 IQD 6,008

725.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.29 IQD 432

544.83%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$13.4K IQD 20.2M

146.91%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$15.4K IQD 23.3M

106.88%

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

$183 €163

$90.9 IQD 137.3K

101.22%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

17.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

49.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

39.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

144.48%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$6.54 IQD 9,880

69.11%

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

$944 €842

$295 IQD 445.5K

220.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$589 IQD 889.3K

3683.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$16.58 IQD 25.1K

428.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$13.00 IQD 19.6K

198.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

76.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$16.06 IQD 24.3K

632.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$212 IQD 319.8K

701.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$139 IQD 210.0K

861.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$374 IQD 564.8K

620.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$314 IQD 475.0K

560.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$868 IQD 1.3M

724.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$491 IQD 741.2K

935.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

$522 IQD 788.5K

329.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

2.53

26.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Al-mawsil

$139 23.3% 89.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Al-mawsil

$133 22.3% 59.4% $195

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Al-mawsil

$65 10.8% 75.8% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Al-mawsil

$126 21.1% 45.5% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Al-mawsil

$47 7.9% 69.9% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4% 32% $24

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Al-mawsil

$37 6.2% 25.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $212 in Al-mawsil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $11 in Al-mawsil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $133 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

14:36 2:36 PM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,683,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Al-mawsil 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Al-mawsil

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

Barcelona vs Al-mawsil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-mawsil is about 76% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 4.3 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $212 in Al-mawsil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 146% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,443 per month in Barcelona versus $597 in Al-mawsil – Al-mawsil is about 76% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $597 in Al-mawsil versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-mawsil but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Al-mawsil 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.

It comes down to priorities – Al-mawsil wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.