Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mashhad, Iran

Name: Mashhad
Address: Mashhad, IR

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $478 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 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 Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mashhad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $478 in Mashhad.

Barcelona $2,453
Mashhad $478

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $766 in Mashhad.

Barcelona $3,509
Mashhad $766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,055 in Mashhad.

Barcelona $4,564
Mashhad $1,055

Living in Barcelona is roughly 413% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Mashhad is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$2.94 $2.94

498.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$18.29 $18.29

269.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$4.97 $4.97

172.23%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.56 $0.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.10 $1.10

190.00%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.43 $0.43

576.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.26 $0.26

626.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.61 $0.61

114.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.21 $0.21

861.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.94 $1.94

-4.64%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.12 $1.12

331.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$2.08 $2.08

704.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$2.73 $2.73

234.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$10.34 $10.34

89.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$0.94 $0.94

217.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.55 $1.55

30.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$0.83 $0.83

225.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.61 $0.61

359.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.52 $0.52

301.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.44 $0.44

370.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.52 $0.52

180.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.29 $0.29

224.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.91 $0.91

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 $0.77

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 $0.90

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$3.03 $3.03

126.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.02 $0.02

15600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$3.58 $3.58

610.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$0.20 $0.20

1395.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.52 $0.52

186.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$1.99 $1.99

1576.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.81 $0.81

122.22%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$59.3K $59.3K

-44.00%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$68.1K $68.1K

-53.45%

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

$180 €162

$13.66 $13.66

1220.72%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$2.63 $2.63

426.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$26.95 $26.95

25.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$19.25 $19.25

167.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$15.14 $15.14

5.42%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$2.05 $2.05

436.10%

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

$917 €821

$41.46 $41.46

2110.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$613 $613

2587.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$20.34 $20.34

327.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$38.31 $38.31

0.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$93.2 $93.2

13.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$69.8 $69.8

71.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$209 $209

714.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$151 $151

798.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$392 $392

563.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$266 $266

675.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$1,153 $1,153

499.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$683 $683

650.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$250 $250

783.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

21.5

-84.74%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Mashhad

$151 31.6% 88.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Mashhad

$100 20.9% 69% $222

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Mashhad

$54 11.4% 79.7% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Mashhad

$43 9.1% 81% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Mashhad

$100 20.9% 36.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Mashhad

$23 4.9% 68.2% $50

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Mashhad

$6.5 1.4% 86.6% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $209 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 8.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $18 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $100 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

3,001,184

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Mashhad 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $478 in Mashhad, so Mashhad is about 81% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 8.8 times higher, 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $209 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $41 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 222% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $478 in Mashhad versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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 Mashhad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Mashhad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.