Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Iowa City, IA Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Iowa City, IA

🙂 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 11.9% cheaper than Iowa City, IA without rent, and 1.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Barcelona is 10.3% cheaper than Iowa City, IA without rent, and 8.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 €15.03

$15.27 $15.27

14.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 €59.3

$75.8 $75.8

-9.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.71 €11.84

$8.76 $8.76

56.51%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.4

$5.26 $5.26

-47.15%

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

$2.8 €2.42

$2.38 $2.38

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.71

$1.79 $1.79

10.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.83

$5.05 $5.05

-12.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €3.91

$7.11 $7.11

-36.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$0.87 $0.87

42.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$2.75 $2.75

-26.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.71

$4.74 $4.74

-58.23%

Eggs

$3.46 €2.99

$4.09 $4.09

-15.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.32 €15.82

$9.32 $9.32

96.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.82 €8.47

$10.46 $10.46

-6.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.24 €16.61

$16.66 $16.66

15.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.25

$3.29 $3.29

-20.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 €2.02

$1.16 $1.16

101.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.82

$2.76 $2.76

-23.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 €2.39

$4.64 $4.64

-40.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.76

$2.05 $2.05

-0.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 €1.53

$2.86 $2.86

-38.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.5 €1.3

$2.01 $2.01

-25.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.73

$1.97 $1.97

-56.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7 €6.04

$9.21 $9.21

-24.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.13 €6.16

$12.1 $12.1

-41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.24

$1.76 $1.76

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €1.98

$4.69 $4.69

-51.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 €2.6

$2.02 $2.02

49.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.97 €25.01

$15.78 $15.78

83.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €3.96

$4.54 $4.54

1.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 €1.74

$2.22 $2.22

-9.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.56 €25.53

$42.62 $42.62

-30.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.56

$0.83 $0.83

118.07%

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

$38.4K €33.1K

$24.9K $24.9K

54.13%

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

$32.4K €28K

$25.5K $25.5K

27.19%

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

$190 €164

$219 $219

-13.60%

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

$22.18 €19.15

$50.2 $50.2

-55.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.37 €31.4

$73.8 $73.8

-50.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.55

$48.89 $48.89

17.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.95 €18.09

$20.26 $20.26

3.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.8 €9.33

$12.21 $12.21

-11.55%

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

$732 €632

$1,252 $1,252

-41.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K €13.1K

$24.9K $24.9K

-39.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 €74.9

$67.1 $67.1

29.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.78 €31.76

$47.76 $47.76

-22.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €88.2

$98.3 $98.3

4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €101

$116 $116

0.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 €1,365

$1,227 $1,227

28.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 €1,062

$1,105 $1,105

11.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,707 €2,337

$2,402 $2,402

12.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 €1,751

$1,549 $1,549

30.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,602 €5,700

$3,842 $3,842

71.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,045 €4,356

$1,800 $1,800

180.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,198 €1,898

$3,808 $3,808

-42.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

6.43

-47.28%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 29, 2025

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