Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Burlington, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington, IA: $1,769 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
Learn more

Burlington, IA Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA.

Barcelona $2,381
Burlington, IA $1,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,675 in Burlington, IA.

Barcelona $3,406
Burlington, IA $2,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,580 in Burlington, IA.

Barcelona $4,431
Burlington, IA $3,580

Living in Barcelona is roughly 35% more expensive than in Burlington, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Burlington, IA 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$11.35 $11.35

57.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$59.1 $59.1

12.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$8.84 $8.84

54.86%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.74 $4.74

-35.44%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.95 $1.95

57.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.02 $2.02

-3.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.41 $3.41

13.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.58 $4.58

0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.81 $0.81

60.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.82 $2.82

-25.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$4.34 $4.34

-57.83%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.92 $2.92

58.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$11.37 $11.37

52.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$11.93 $11.93

-22.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.20 $14.20

39.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.02 $4.02

-25.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.98 $1.98

2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.61 $4.61

-42.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.65 $4.65

-38.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.74 $2.74

-21.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.60 $2.60

-17.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.54 $1.54

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.06 $2.06

-57.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$8.16 $8.16

-15.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$16.29 $16.29

-51.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.89 $1.89

-26.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.27 $2.27

15.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.94 $1.94

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$15.76 $15.76

61.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.67 $4.67

-35.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.02 $1.02

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$22.19 $22.19

49.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.94 $0.94

97.87%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$22.7K $22.7K

42.29%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.0K $25.0K

26.90%

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

$183 €163

$184 $184

-0.73%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$47.16 $47.16

-71.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$59.2 $59.2

-44.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$42.42 $42.42

28.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$11.92 $11.92

-5.79%

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

$954 €849

$1,210 $1,210

-21.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$13.3K $13.3K

24.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$44.72 $44.72

92.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$30.53 $30.53

28.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$87.0 $87.0

19.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$37.90 $37.90

213.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$754 $754

124.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$707 $707

80.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,172 $1,172

119.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,280 $1,280

50.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,026 $1,026

609.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,033 $1,033

385.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$4,446 $4,446

-49.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.54

-49.85%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Burlington, IA

$707 40% 44.6% $569

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7% 12.6% $41

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2% 19.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4% 26.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1% 42.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7% 14.1% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9% 29.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 100% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $59.0 in Burlington, IA. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $366, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

20:50 8:50 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

44,743

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Burlington, IA 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Barcelona and Burlington, IA differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,769 including rent). Burlington, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 100% lower in Burlington, IA. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,210 in Burlington, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Burlington, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Burlington, IA 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 Burlington, IA 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 Burlington, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.