Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Isfahan

For one person, living is cheaper in Isfahan: $475 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Isfahan
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Isfahan Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Isfahan

🇮🇷 Iran

$475

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Isfahan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $475 in Isfahan.

Barcelona $2,405
Isfahan $475

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $801 in Isfahan.

Barcelona $3,477
Isfahan $801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $1,127 in Isfahan.

Barcelona $4,550
Isfahan $1,127

Living in Barcelona is roughly 406% more expensive than in Isfahan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 79% above, Isfahan is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$2.96 $2.96

507.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$12.39 $12.39

444.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$2.99 $2.99

347.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 $0.78

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$0.98 $0.98

240.82%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$0.48 $0.48

514.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.49 $0.49

287.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.48 $0.48

164.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.43 $0.43

355.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.89 $1.89

-7.41%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$1.45 $1.45

237.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$2.86 $2.86

510.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$2.38 $2.38

280.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$10.55 $10.55

91.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$0.71 $0.71

333.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.30 $1.30

56.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.02 $1.02

154.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$0.60 $0.60

351.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$0.55 $0.55

290.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.49 $0.49

351.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.55 $0.55

180.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.21 $0.21

342.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.48 $0.48

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 $0.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 $0.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$2.08 $2.08

240.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.31 $0.31

851.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$12.62 $12.62

105.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$0.51 $0.51

513.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.29 $0.29

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$1.95 $1.95

1652.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.93 $0.93

92.47%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$67.3K $67.3K

-48.45%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$59.0K $59.0K

-48.66%

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

$181 €161

$10.18 $10.18

1674.85%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$2.00 $2.00

578.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$7.35 $7.35

377.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$13.71 $13.71

287.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$13.36 $13.36

20.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$1.02 $1.02

1014.71%

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

$939 €838

$71.9 $71.9

1205.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$528 $528

3030.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$18.34 $18.34

380.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$24.42 $24.42

62.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$85.4 $85.4

21.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$36.85 $36.85

224.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$290 $290

484.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$194 $194

570.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$1,345 $1,345

91.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$456 $456

326.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$1,175 $1,175

535.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$749 $749

593.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$205 $205

1023.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

26.8

-87.76%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Isfahan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Isfahan

$194 41.5% 85.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Isfahan

$100 21.4% 69.1% $225

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Isfahan

$48 10.3% 82.2% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Isfahan

$20 4.2% 91.5% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Isfahan

$74 15.9% 53% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Isfahan

$16 3.4% 79.2% $60

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Isfahan

$16 3.4% 67.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $290 in Isfahan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 1023% 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: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $12.00 in Isfahan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $100 per month, with Isfahan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇷 Isfahan

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,961,260

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Isfahan 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Isfahan

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 Isfahan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Isfahan differ by about 406% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $475 including rent). Isfahan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1023% 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 $290 in Isfahan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $71.9 in Isfahan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 224% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $475 in Isfahan versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Isfahan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Isfahan 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 Isfahan 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 Isfahan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 406% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.