Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Duhok

For one person, living is cheaper in Duhok: $608 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Duhok
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Duhok Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Duhok

🇮🇶 Iraq

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Duhok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $608 in Duhok.

Barcelona $2,381
Duhok $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $978 in Duhok.

Barcelona $3,406
Duhok $978

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,349 in Duhok.

Barcelona $4,431
Duhok $1,349

Living in Barcelona is roughly 292% more expensive than in Duhok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Duhok is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$3.38 IQD 5,111

429.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$16.59 IQD 25.1K

298.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.40 IQD 11.2K

85.00%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.43 IQD 3,665

25.93%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.32 IQD 481

859.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.19 IQD 294

921.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.69 IQD 2,550

128.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$1.94 IQD 2,932

137.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.11 IQD 1,680

17.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.67 IQD 1,016

213.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.48 IQD 2,232

23.65%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.58 IQD 2,391

192.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$4.87 IQD 7,359

256.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$2.96 IQD 4,478

213.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$10.95 IQD 16.6K

81.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$0.99 IQD 1,489

204.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.97 IQD 1,461

109.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.75 IQD 1,136

253.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.63 IQD 959

355.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.61 IQD 919

254.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.62 IQD 940

246.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.61 IQD 926

140.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.52 IQD 787

69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$1.73 IQD 2,609

300.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$10.97 IQD 16.6K

-28.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.40 IQD 2,121

-0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.79 IQD 2,700

46.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.30 IQD 459

870.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$15.64 IQD 23.6K

62.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.60 IQD 2,420

87.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.29 IQD 1,945

11.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$5.52 IQD 8,343

501.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.54 IQD 819

244.44%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

94.63%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

85.29%

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

$183 €163

$87.3 IQD 131.8K

109.47%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$8.86 IQD 13.4K

53.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$23.83 IQD 36.0K

38.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$50.1 IQD 75.7K

9.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$26.55 IQD 40.1K

-37.78%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$7.52 IQD 11.4K

49.34%

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

$954 €849

$106 IQD 160.6K

797.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$2,727 IQD 4.1M

508.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$10.02 IQD 15.1K

758.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$20.32 IQD 30.7K

92.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$30.27 IQD 45.7K

242.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$19.60 IQD 29.6K

505.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$157 IQD 237.0K

980.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$116 IQD 174.7K

1003.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$329 IQD 496.7K

683.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$324 IQD 489.1K

493.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$445 IQD 671.8K

1537.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$362 IQD 547.1K

1283.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$415 IQD 627.4K

436.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.53

29.64%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Duhok: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Duhok

$116 19% 90.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Duhok

$154 25.3% 52.8% $171

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Duhok

$93 15.3% 65.6% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Duhok

$120 19.7% 47.7% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Duhok

$36 5.9% 76.9% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Duhok

$65 10.7% 15.5% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Duhok

$25 4.1% 47.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $157 in Duhok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 436% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $17.00 in Duhok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $154 per month, with Duhok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇶 Duhok

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

01:14 1:14 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

340,900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Duhok 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Duhok

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 Duhok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Duhok differ by about 292% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $608 including rent). Duhok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 436% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $157 in Duhok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $106 in Duhok. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $608 in Duhok versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Duhok but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Duhok 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 Duhok 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 Duhok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 292% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.