Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Des Moines, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Des Moines, IA: $2,171 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,171 in Des Moines, IA.

Barcelona $2,381
Des Moines, IA $2,171

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,236 in Des Moines, IA.

Barcelona $3,406
Des Moines, IA $3,236

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,301 in Des Moines, IA.

Barcelona $4,431
Des Moines, IA $4,301

Living in Barcelona is roughly 10% more expensive than in Des Moines, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Des Moines, IA 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$19.69 $19.69

-9.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$80.8 $80.8

-18.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$12.22 $12.22

12.03%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$6.16 $6.16

-50.32%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.93 $2.93

4.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.56 $2.56

-24.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.99 $4.99

-22.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.89 $5.89

-21.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.91 $0.91

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.03 $3.03

-30.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.38 $3.38

-45.86%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.00 $4.00

15.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$9.69 $9.69

79.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.91 $9.91

-6.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$13.68 $13.68

44.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.33 $4.33

-30.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.51 $1.51

34.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.54 $4.54

-41.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.68 $3.68

-22.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.07 $3.07

-29.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.14 $2.14

0.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.38 $2.38

-38.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.19 $2.19

-59.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$7.85 $7.85

-11.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$14.79 $14.79

-47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.70 $1.70

-18.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.09 $3.09

-14.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.73 $1.73

68.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$58.1 $58.1

-56.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.97 $1.97

52.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.23 $1.23

17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$19.70 $19.70

68.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.93 $0.93

100.00%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$27.2K $27.2K

19.01%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.1K $25.1K

26.07%

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

$183 €163

$185 $185

-1.00%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$53.6 $53.6

-74.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$70.2 $70.2

-53.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$63.8 $63.8

-14.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$20.14 $20.14

-17.97%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.99 $9.99

12.41%

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

$954 €849

$1,187 $1,187

-19.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$12.0K $12.0K

38.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$59.5 $59.5

44.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$42.98 $42.98

-9.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$101 $101

2.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$145 $145

-18.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,177 $1,177

44.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$872 $872

46.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,738 $1,738

48.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,394 $1,394

37.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,320 $2,320

213.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,325 $2,325

115.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,647 $3,647

-38.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.56

-50.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Des Moines, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Des Moines, IA

$872 40.2% 31.6% $404

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Des Moines, IA

$349 16.1% 7.5% $24

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Des Moines, IA

$327 15.1% 21.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Des Moines, IA

$308 14.2% 34.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Des Moines, IA

$157 7.2% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Des Moines, IA

$84 3.9% 8.5% $6.6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.4% 54.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,177 in Des Moines, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays 64% 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 $81.0 in Des Moines, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $349 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

214,133

💱 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 Des Moines, IA 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Des Moines, 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 Des Moines, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Des Moines, IA differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,171 including rent). Des Moines, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Des Moines, 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 $1,177 in Des Moines, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,187 in Des Moines, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,171 in Des Moines, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Des Moines, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Des Moines, 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 Des Moines, 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 Des Moines, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.