Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and 'aqrah

For one person, living is cheaper in 'aqrah: $661 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in 'aqrah
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'aqrah Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

'aqrah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in 'aqrah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $661 in 'aqrah.

Barcelona $2,399
'aqrah $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,015 in 'aqrah.

Barcelona $3,410
'aqrah $1,015

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,369 in 'aqrah.

Barcelona $4,421
'aqrah $1,369

Living in Barcelona is roughly 263% more expensive than in 'aqrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, 'aqrah is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$3.62 IQD 5,467

395.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$21.82 IQD 33.0K

211.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$6.82 IQD 10.3K

94.72%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.38 IQD 3,602

36.55%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.32 IQD 485

840.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.18 IQD 273

938.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.11 IQD 4,706

23.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.61 IQD 3,945

71.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.94 IQD 1,416

37.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$0.72 IQD 1,086

183.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.46 IQD 2,205

17.81%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.70 IQD 2,573

180.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.91

$3.48 IQD 5,252

381.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$4.16 IQD 6,291

114.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$13.31 IQD 20.1K

49.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$0.92 IQD 1,383

223.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$0.91 IQD 1,375

123.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$0.77 IQD 1,161

254.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$0.66 IQD 990

306.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.54 IQD 809

288.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.64 IQD 965

225.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.51 IQD 776

184.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.50 IQD 756

78.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$1.57 IQD 2,368

342.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$10.92 IQD 16.5K

-28.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.33 IQD 2,003

9.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.85 IQD 2,800

38.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.45 IQD 679

564.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$17.50 IQD 26.4K

44.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.89 IQD 2,859

65.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.39 IQD 2,099

3.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$5.15 IQD 7,788

550.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.48 IQD 727

272.92%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

105.07%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

55.07%

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

$178 €158

$80.2 IQD 121.1K

121.90%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

-1.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.02

$27.25 IQD 41.2K

28.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.36

$37.01 IQD 55.9K

43.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$8.39 IQD 12.7K

31.82%

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

$957 €851

$142 IQD 213.9K

575.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$2,656 IQD 4.0M

523.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

299.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$23.85 IQD 36.0K

65.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.4

$47.26 IQD 71.4K

117.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$31.06 IQD 46.9K

291.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$184 IQD 277.8K

799.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$141 IQD 213.2K

822.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$358 IQD 541.4K

613.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$278 IQD 419.4K

589.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,480

$779 IQD 1.2M

835.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,518

$642 IQD 970.8K

690.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,028

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.33

-1.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for 'aqrah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

'aqrah

$141 21.4% 89.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

'aqrah

$160 24.2% 50% $160

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

'aqrah

$101 15.3% 62.7% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

'aqrah

$121 18.3% 46.5% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

'aqrah

$56 8.5% 64.7% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

'aqrah

$54 8.1% 28.6% $22

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

'aqrah

$28 4.3% 40.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $184 in 'aqrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $22.00 in 'aqrah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $160 per month, with 'aqrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇶 'aqrah

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

68,100

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona 'aqrah 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
'aqrah

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 'aqrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

'aqrah wins on cost – living expenses run 263% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making 'aqrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,599 in Barcelona and $991 in 'aqrah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $184 in 'aqrah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,399 per month in Barcelona versus $661 in 'aqrah – a 263% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in 'aqrah runs roughly 44% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $661 in 'aqrah versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in 'aqrah but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes 'aqrah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but 'aqrah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $661 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes 'aqrah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and 'aqrah 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 'aqrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 263% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.