Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ames, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ames, IA: $2,174 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ames, IA

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 Ames, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,174 in Ames, IA.

Barcelona $2,453
Ames, IA $2,174

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,216 in Ames, IA.

Barcelona $3,509
Ames, IA $3,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,258 in Ames, IA.

Barcelona $4,564
Ames, IA $4,258

Living in Barcelona is roughly 13% more expensive than in Ames, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Ames, IA 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$17.89 $17.89

-1.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$52.5 $52.5

28.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$11.92 $11.92

13.51%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$4.97 $4.97

-35.81%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.60 $2.60

11.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.28 $2.28

-17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$4.12 $4.12

-2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$6.88 $6.88

-34.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.83 $0.83

57.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.59 $3.59

-43.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.22 $3.22

-42.55%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.41 $3.41

41.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$10.31 $10.31

62.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$13.47 $13.47

-32.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$19.03 $19.03

3.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$5.93 $5.93

-49.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.82 $1.82

10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$6.64 $6.64

-59.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$5.21 $5.21

-46.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$4.53 $4.53

-53.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$4.16 $4.16

-50.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.33 $2.33

-37.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.43 $2.43

-61.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$10.15 $10.15

-32.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$16.29 $16.29

-51.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.79 $2.79

-49.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$5.05 $5.05

-49.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.01 $1.01

210.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$35.22 $35.22

-27.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$5.12 $5.12

-41.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.72 $1.72

-13.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$24.02 $24.02

38.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.93 $0.93

93.55%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$26.1K $26.1K

26.98%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$25.6K $25.6K

24.06%

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

$180 €162

$182 $182

-0.84%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$55.9 $55.9

-75.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$70.3 $70.3

-52.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$69.4 $69.4

-25.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$19.80 $19.80

-19.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$14.77 $14.77

-25.59%

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

$917 €823

$1,356 $1,356

-32.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$35.9K $35.9K

-54.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$58.7 $58.7

48.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$43.33 $43.33

-11.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$89.9 $89.9

17.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$107 $107

12.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,010 $1,010

68.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$850 $850

59.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,783 $1,783

45.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,416 $1,416

45.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$2,677 $2,677

158.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,131 $2,131

140.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$3,671 $3,671

-39.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.41

-48.83%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ames, IA: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ames, IA

$851 39.1% 37.2% $505

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ames, IA

$436 20.1% 35.6% $114

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ames, IA

$292 13.5% 9.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ames, IA

$308 14.2% 35.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ames, IA

$134 6.2% 15% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ames, IA

$99 4.6% 34.6% $25

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ames, IA

$53 2.4% 9.4% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,010 in Ames, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 66% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $52 in Ames, IA. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $436, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

15:33 3:33 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

66,427

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Ames, IA 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ames, IA

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 Ames, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ames, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ames, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 40% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,010 in Ames, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 28% less than in Ames, IA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,356 in Ames, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Ames, IA is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.