Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankara: $1,400 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
Learn more

Ankara Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,400

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ankara

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

A single person spends $2,405 per month in Barcelona vs $1,400 in Ankara, rent included.

Barcelona $2,405
Ankara $1,400

A couple spends around $3,477 per month in Barcelona vs $2,082 in Ankara, rent included.

Barcelona $3,477
Ankara $2,082

A family of three spends $4,550 per month in Barcelona vs $2,763 in Ankara, rent included.

Barcelona $4,550
Ankara $2,763

Barcelona costs about 72% more than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Barcelona and Ankara sit above the global median – Barcelona by 79%, Ankara by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$10.32 ₺509

74.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$42.03 ₺2,070

60.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$9.72 ₺479

37.55%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$3.99 ₺196

-16.29%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$1.68 ₺82.5

75.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.75 ₺37.15

153.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$5.03 ₺248

-22.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$6.04 ₺297

-24.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.17 ₺57.5

8.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.02 ₺50.0

92.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.37 ₺117

-26.16%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$2.64 ₺130

85.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$10.31 ₺508

69.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$5.54 ₺273

63.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$20.01 ₺986

0.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.95 ₺96.1

57.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.29 ₺113

-11.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.33 ₺65.3

95.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.76 ₺86.7

53.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$0.68 ₺33.50

216.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.54 ₺26.83

309.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.02 ₺50.4

50.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.67 ₺33.14

38.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$2.29 ₺113

209.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$12.47 ₺615

-38.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.22 ₺109

-32.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.21 ₺158

-14.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.69 ₺33.99

327.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$12.31 ₺607

110.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$1.29 ₺63.7

142.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.85 ₺41.68

70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$6.66 ₺328

413.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.38 ₺68.1

29.71%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$48.9K ₺2.4M

-29.00%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$41.2K ₺2.0M

-26.43%

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

$181 €161

$95.4 ₺4,699

89.39%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$10.92 ₺538

24.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$17.83 ₺878

96.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$72.4 ₺3,568

-26.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$15.15 ₺746

5.94%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$8.05 ₺397

41.24%

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

$939 €838

$1,035 ₺51.0K

-9.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$19.9K ₺981.9K

-17.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$53.7 ₺2,645

64.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$47.68 ₺2,349

-16.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$104 ₺5,107

-0.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$95.6 ₺4,709

24.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$756 ₺37.2K

124.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$577 ₺28.4K

125.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$1,162 ₺57.3K

121.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$891 ₺43.9K

117.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$1,671 ₺82.3K

346.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$1,171 ₺57.7K

343.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$1,101 ₺54.2K

108.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

43.57

-92.47%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Ankara: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Ankara

$577 41% 55.7% $724

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Ankara

$256 18.2% 21.3% $69

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Ankara

$207 14.7% 24% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Ankara

$124 8.8% 45.9% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Ankara

$135 9.6% 14.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Ankara

$89 6.3% 16.7% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ankara

$21 1.5% 57.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Barcelona versus $756 in Ankara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 109% higher in Barcelona, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Barcelona versus $42.00 in Ankara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $256 – making Ankara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇹🇷 Ankara

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

5,864,049 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Ankara 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ankara

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 Ankara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 72% more than Ankara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,607 per month in Barcelona and $2,100 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ankara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $939 per month in Barcelona and $1,035 in Ankara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Barcelona, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ankara, where all-in costs run around $1,400, than in Barcelona at $2,405. In Ankara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ankara costs $1,400 versus $2,405 in Barcelona. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ankara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.