Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Dubuque, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubuque, IA: $1,731 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Dubuque, IA
Learn more

Dubuque, IA Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Dubuque, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,731 in Dubuque, IA.

Barcelona $2,381
Dubuque, IA $1,731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,538 in Dubuque, IA.

Barcelona $3,406
Dubuque, IA $2,538

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,345 in Dubuque, IA.

Barcelona $4,431
Dubuque, IA $3,345

Living in Barcelona is roughly 38% more expensive than in Dubuque, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Dubuque, IA 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$13.85 $13.85

29.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$49.71 $49.71

33.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.80 $11.80

16.02%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.99 $4.99

-38.68%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.02 $2.02

51.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.95 $0.95

104.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.01 $3.01

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.53 $4.53

1.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.78 $0.78

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.71 $2.71

-22.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.82 $2.82

-35.11%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.85 $2.85

62.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$14.05 $14.05

23.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$10.38 $10.38

-10.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$10.63 $10.63

86.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.32 $3.32

-9.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.21 $1.21

67.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.26 $3.26

-18.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.45 $2.45

17.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.36 $1.36

58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.67 $1.67

28.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.42 $2.42

-39.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.79 $1.79

-50.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$8.70 $8.70

-20.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$13.36 $13.36

-41.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.69 $1.69

-17.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.82 $2.82

-6.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.91 $0.91

104.40%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$24.5K $24.5K

31.84%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.0K $25.0K

26.66%

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

$183 €163

$176 $176

3.69%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$52.0 $52.0

-73.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$50.7 $50.7

-35.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$36.87 $36.87

48.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$8.17 $8.17

37.45%

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

$954 €849

$812 $812

17.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$55.6 $55.6

54.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$35.65 $35.65

9.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$86.1 $86.1

20.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$88.7 $88.7

33.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$985 $985

72.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$725 $725

76.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,476 $1,476

74.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,201 $1,201

60.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,732 $1,732

320.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,707 $1,707

193.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,768 $3,768

-40.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.25

-37.52%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Dubuque, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Dubuque, IA

$725 41.9% 43.2% $551

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Dubuque, IA

$312 18% 4% $13

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Dubuque, IA

$242 14% 10.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Dubuque, IA

$279 16.1% 21.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Dubuque, IA

$120 6.9% 23.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Dubuque, IA

$53 3.1% 31% $24

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Dubuque, IA

- * 0% 100%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $985 in Dubuque, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubuque, IA pays 69% 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 $50.0 in Dubuque, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $312 per month, with Dubuque, IA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Dubuque, IA

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

22:17 10:17 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

59,667

💱 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 Dubuque, IA 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Barcelona and Dubuque, IA differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,731 including rent). Dubuque, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Dubuque, 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 $985 in Dubuque, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $812 in Dubuque, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dubuque, IA – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,731 in Dubuque, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dubuque, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Dubuque, 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 Dubuque, 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 Dubuque, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.