Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,048 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Baghdad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,048 in Baghdad.

Barcelona $2,453
Baghdad $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,508 in Baghdad.

Barcelona $3,509
Baghdad $1,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,968 in Baghdad.

Barcelona $4,564
Baghdad $1,968

Living in Barcelona is roughly 134% more expensive than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Baghdad is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$4.54 IQD 6,866

287.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

153.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$6.47 IQD 9,781

109.12%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.68 IQD 4,054

19.03%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.39 IQD 584

646.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.20 IQD 302

845.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.31 IQD 5,009

21.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.22 IQD 4,866

40.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.92 IQD 1,390

42.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.71 IQD 1,078

184.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.32 IQD 1,999

40.15%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.71 IQD 2,577

182.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$3.30 IQD 4,989

407.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$4.15 IQD 6,269

119.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

60.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.00 IQD 1,513

198.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.98 IQD 1,487

106.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$0.95 IQD 1,440

184.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.68 IQD 1,021

311.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.58 IQD 877

260.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.57 IQD 854

263.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.60 IQD 903

143.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.61 IQD 927

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$1.67 IQD 2,531

311.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

-32.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.99 IQD 3,005

-29.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.96 IQD 2,962

29.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.32 IQD 480

881.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

27.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.02 IQD 3,045

48.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.30 IQD 1,964

14.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

400.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.58 IQD 870

210.34%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

100.72%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

89.81%

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

$180 €162

$188 IQD 284.5K

-4.20%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

-28.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$37.51 IQD 56.7K

-10.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

28.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

-13.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

13.30%

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

$917 €821

$145 IQD 219.6K

530.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

399.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

239.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

15.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

75.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

186.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$537 IQD 811.6K

216.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$364 IQD 550.5K

271.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$963 IQD 1.5M

170.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$624 IQD 943.1K

230.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

61.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

271.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$518 IQD 782.8K

326.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.12

-20.39%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Baghdad

$364 34.8% 73.1% $991

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Baghdad

$164 15.6% 49.1% $158

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Baghdad

$113 10.8% 57.7% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Baghdad

$245 23.4% 7.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Baghdad

$72 6.9% 54.1% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Baghdad

$59 5.7% 19.2% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Baghdad

$30 2.9% 38.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $537 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $27 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $164 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Baghdad 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Baghdad

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 Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 4.3 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 $537 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baghdad runs roughly 21% less than in Barcelona. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $145 in Baghdad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Baghdad 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.

Expats usually find Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.