Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ankeny, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankeny, IA: $2,340 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,340 in Ankeny, IA.

Barcelona $2,453
Ankeny, IA $2,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,308 in Ankeny, IA.

Barcelona $3,509
Ankeny, IA $3,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,275 in Ankeny, IA.

Barcelona $4,564
Ankeny, IA $4,275

Living in Barcelona is roughly 5% more expensive than in Ankeny, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Ankeny, IA 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$20.05 $20.05

-12.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$79.4 $79.4

-15.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$11.94 $11.94

13.32%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$5.60 $5.60

-43.04%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$3.04 $3.04

-4.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.71 $1.71

10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.05 $5.05

-20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.73 $5.73

-20.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.89 $0.89

47.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.00 $3.00

-32.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.26 $3.26

-43.25%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.96 $3.96

21.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$9.84 $9.84

70.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$8.29 $8.29

10.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$14.78 $14.78

32.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$5.46 $5.46

-45.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.50 $1.50

34.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$4.91 $4.91

-45.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.66 $3.66

-23.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.17 $2.17

-3.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$3.32 $3.32

-37.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.91 $1.91

-23.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.54 $2.54

-62.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$8.83 $8.83

-22.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$14.94 $14.94

-47.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.74 $1.74

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.48 $2.48

2.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$1.97 $1.97

51.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.26 $1.26

18.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$20.20 $20.20

65.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.00 $1.00

80.00%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$26.2K $26.2K

26.46%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$25.6K $25.6K

23.96%

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

$180 €162

$160 $160

12.43%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$52.9 $52.9

-73.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$66.2 $66.2

-49.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$74.6 $74.6

-30.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$9.82 $9.82

11.91%

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

$917 €823

$1,095 $1,095

-16.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.9K $11.9K

38.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$47.07 $47.07

84.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$34.51 $34.51

11.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$88.2 $88.2

20.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$118 $118

1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,107 $1,107

53.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,157 $1,157

17.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,968 $1,968

32.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,600 $1,600

28.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$5,485 $5,485

-59.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.37

-48.51%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ankeny, IA

$1.2K 49.4% 14.6% $198

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ankeny, IA

$352 15.1% 9.4% $30

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ankeny, IA

$319 13.6% 19.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ankeny, IA

$280 12% 22.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.5% 18% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ankeny, IA

$94 4% 28.2% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ankeny, IA

$8.3 * 0.4% 82.9% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,107 in Ankeny, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays about 2.5 times 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 $79 in Ankeny, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $352 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

18:04 6:04 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

67,887

💱 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Ankeny, IA 7,500 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ankeny, 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 Ankeny, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,340 in Ankeny, IA, so Ankeny, IA is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% 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 $1,107 in Ankeny, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $2,340 in Ankeny, IA – Ankeny, IA is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Ankeny, IA gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Barcelona and Ankeny, IA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.