Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Iowa City, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Iowa City, IA: $2,251 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
Learn more

Iowa City, IA Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,251 in Iowa City, IA.

Barcelona $2,453
Iowa City, IA $2,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,264 in Iowa City, IA.

Barcelona $3,509
Iowa City, IA $3,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,276 in Iowa City, IA.

Barcelona $4,564
Iowa City, IA $4,276

Living in Barcelona is roughly 9% more expensive than in Iowa City, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Iowa City, IA 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.71

$15.12 $15.12

16.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$67.3 $67.3

0.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.08

$9.03 $9.03

49.83%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$5.54 $5.54

-42.42%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$2.77 $2.77

5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.23 $2.23

-15.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$4.86 $4.86

-17.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.05

$7.13 $7.13

-36.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.92 $0.92

42.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.79 $2.79

-27.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.02 $2.02

-8.42%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.32

$3.71 $3.71

30.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.95

$9.43 $9.43

77.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$10.64 $10.64

-14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.54

$19.95 $19.95

-1.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.37 $3.37

-11.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.22 $1.22

65.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.65 $2.65

1.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$4.87 $4.87

-42.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.98 $1.98

5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.36 $2.36

-12.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.71 $1.71

-14.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.38 $2.38

-60.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.14

$10.13 $10.13

-32.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$13.70 $13.70

-42.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.72 $1.72

-18.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$4.54 $4.54

-44.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.81

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.73

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$3.91 $3.91

-23.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.97 $1.97

-24.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.81

$43.67 $43.67

-23.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.99 $0.99

81.82%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$27.2K $27.2K

22.12%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$25.8K $25.8K

22.96%

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

$180 €161

$271 $271

-33.54%

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

$13.84 €12.36

$51.5 $51.5

-73.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.10

$81.6 $81.6

-58.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.01

$29.80 $29.80

72.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.26

$19.65 $19.65

-18.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.82

$13.86 $13.86

-20.71%

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

$917 €819

$1,292 $1,292

-29.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$23.7K $23.7K

-30.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$64.4 $64.4

35.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.39

$49.68 $49.68

-22.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$98.6 $98.6

7.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$115 $115

4.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,518

$1,242 $1,242

36.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,211

$1,003 $1,003

35.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,325

$1,933 $1,933

34.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,842

$1,637 $1,637

25.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,176

$3,514 $3,514

96.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,580

$1,811 $1,811

183.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,975

$3,822 $3,822

-42.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.45

-49.15%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6% 26% $352

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6% 9.2% $30

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1% 1.9% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Iowa City, IA

$404 18% 77.4% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6% 6.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6% 21.7% $16

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6% 71.6% $35

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,242 in Iowa City, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays 73% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $67 in Iowa City, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $352 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

20:37 8:37 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

74,828

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Iowa City, IA 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Iowa City, 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 Iowa City, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,251 in Iowa City, IA, so Iowa City, IA is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,242 in Iowa City, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,292 in Iowa City, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $2,251 in Iowa City, IA – Iowa City, IA is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Iowa City, IA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.