Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Iquique

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquique: $1,009 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
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Iquique Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Iquique

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,009 in Iquique.

Barcelona $2,381
Iquique $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,595 in Iquique.

Barcelona $3,406
Iquique $1,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,181 in Iquique.

Barcelona $4,431
Iquique $2,181

Living in Barcelona is roughly 136% more expensive than in Iquique, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Iquique is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$7.52 CLP 7,405

137.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$40.89 CLP 40.3K

61.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.09 CLP 6,979

93.09%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.45 CLP 3,400

-11.30%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.24 CLP 1,219

147.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.02 CLP 1,002

90.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.19 CLP 3,141

21.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.62 CLP 3,562

27.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.12 CLP 1,102

16.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.17 CLP 1,148

79.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.30 CLP 1,275

40.77%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.97 CLP 2,928

55.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.38 CLP 10.2K

67.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$10.13 CLP 9,973

-8.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.30 CLP 2,263

30.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.24 CLP 2,205

-9.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.49 CLP 1,466

77.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.09 CLP 1,071

163.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.73 CLP 722

195.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.58 CLP 574

270.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.05 CLP 1,030

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.35 CLP 1,328

-34.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$7.01 CLP 6,904

-1.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.60 CLP 7,477

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$0.81 CLP 793

224.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.68 CLP 666

327.94%

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

$1.44 CLP 1,419

29.17%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

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

$31.7K €28.2K

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

$183 €163

$85.7 CLP 84.4K

113.28%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$15.04 CLP 14.8K

-9.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$23.18 CLP 22.8K

42.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$50.1 CLP 49.3K

9.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.87 CLP 6,764

63.46%

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

$954 €849

$251 CLP 247.1K

280.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$30.07 CLP 29.6K

186.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$22.86 CLP 22.5K

71.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$45.02 CLP 44.3K

130.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$57.8 CLP 56.9K

105.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$413 CLP 406.6K

310.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$394 CLP 388.3K

223.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$690 CLP 679.5K

273.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$781 CLP 769.1K

146.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,709 CLP 1.7M

326.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,902 CLP 1.9M

163.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$934 CLP 919.7K

138.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

7.5

-56.27%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Iquique: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Iquique

$394 39.1% 69.1% $882

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Iquique

$199 * 19.7% 38.9% $126

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Iquique

$155 15.4% 42.4% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Iquique

$124 12.3% 46% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Iquique

$70 7% 55.2% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Iquique

$64 6.3% 17.3% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Iquique

$2.7 * 0.3% 94.3% $45

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 $413 in Iquique. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 138% 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 $41.00 in Iquique for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $199 per month, with Iquique cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇱 Iquique

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

12:29 12:29 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

188,003

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Iquique 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Iquique

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 Iquique: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Iquique differ by about 136% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,009 including rent). Iquique is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 138% 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 $413 in Iquique. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $251 in Iquique. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Iquique – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,009 in Iquique versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iquique but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Iquique 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 Iquique 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 Iquique gentler on the wallet – expenses run 136% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.