Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arak

For one person, living is cheaper in Arak: $480 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Arak
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Arak Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Arak

🇮🇷 Iran

$480

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $480 in Arak.

Barcelona $2,453
Arak $480

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $755 in Arak.

Barcelona $3,509
Arak $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,030 in Arak.

Barcelona $4,564
Arak $1,030

Living in Barcelona is roughly 411% more expensive than in Arak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Arak is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$3.55 $3.55

395.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$12.88 $12.88

423.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$4.09 $4.09

230.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.33 $1.33

139.85%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.51 $0.51

470.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.66 $1.66

13.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.54 $0.54

142.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.58 $0.58

248.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.96 $1.96

-5.61%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.28 $1.28

277.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$2.14 $2.14

682.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$2.53 $2.53

260.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$10.31 $10.31

90.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$0.77 $0.77

287.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.94 $0.94

114.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$0.63 $0.63

328.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.48 $0.48

483.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.42 $0.42

397.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.44 $0.44

370.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.48 $0.48

204.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.28 $0.28

235.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$2.52 $2.52

172.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.10 $0.10

3040.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$9.70 $9.70

162.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$0.25 $0.25

1096.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.12 $0.12

1141.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$1.02 $1.02

3171.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.10 $0.10

1700.00%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$50.3K $50.3K

-34.07%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$35.0K $35.0K

-9.30%

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

$180 €162

$10.03 $10.03

1698.70%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$1.43 $1.43

867.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$4.01 $4.01

740.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$9.93 $9.93

418.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$24.64 $24.64

-35.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$1.11 $1.11

890.09%

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

$917 €821

$83.3 $83.3

1001.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$2,372 $2,372

594.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$13.59 $13.59

540.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$8.51 $8.51

352.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$81.9 $81.9

29.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$52.1 $52.1

129.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$294 $294

478.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$210 $210

546.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$781 $781

233.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$357 $357

477.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,369 $1,369

405.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$647 $647

692.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$375 $375

488.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

18.5

-82.27%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Arak

$210 43.7% 84.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Arak

$96 20% 70.2% $226

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Arak

$65 13.6% 75.6% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Arak

$15 3.2% 93.2% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Arak

$70 14.6% 55.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Arak

$12 2.5% 83.5% $61

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Arak

$11 2.3% 77.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $294 in Arak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $13 in Arak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $96 per month, with Arak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇷 Arak

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

07:55 7:55 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

526,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Arak 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Arak

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 Arak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arak is about 80% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 5.9 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $294 in Arak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $480 in Arak – Arak is about 80% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arak runs roughly 62% less than in Barcelona. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $480 in Arak versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Arak but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Arak 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Arak are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Arak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.