Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Newton, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Newton, IA: $1,921 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Newton, IA
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Newton, IA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Newton, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,921 in Newton, IA.

Barcelona $2,381
Newton, IA $1,921

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,851 in Newton, IA.

Barcelona $3,406
Newton, IA $2,851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,780 in Newton, IA.

Barcelona $4,431
Newton, IA $3,780

Living in Barcelona is roughly 24% more expensive than in Newton, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Newton, IA 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$19.69 $19.69

-9.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$61.6 $61.6

7.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.62 $10.62

28.91%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.95 $4.95

-38.18%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.61 $2.61

17.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.91 $1.91

1.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.10 $5.10

-24.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$7.61 $7.61

-39.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.90 $0.90

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.22 $3.22

-34.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$4.24 $4.24

-56.84%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.74 $2.74

68.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$6.68 $6.68

159.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$12.62 $12.62

-26.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$16.80 $16.80

18.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$5.36 $5.36

-43.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.06 $2.06

-1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.73 $4.73

-43.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.34 $4.34

-33.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.86 $1.86

16.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.89 $2.89

-25.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.00 $2.00

-26.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.87 $2.87

-69.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$9.19 $9.19

-24.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$9.90 $9.90

-20.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.81 $1.81

-23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$5.84 $5.84

-54.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.19 $2.19

32.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.03 $3.03

-0.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.39 $1.39

3.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$24.81 $24.81

33.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.05 $1.05

77.14%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$32.1K $32.1K

0.72%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$24.5K $24.5K

29.30%

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

$183 €163

$182 $182

0.66%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$62.8 $62.8

-78.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$67.1 $67.1

-50.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$73.8 $73.8

-25.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$14.78 $14.78

-24.02%

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

$954 €849

$998 $998

-4.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$19.6K $19.6K

-15.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$17.97 $17.97

378.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$14.75 $14.75

165.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$80.8 $80.8

28.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$99.4 $99.4

19.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$842 $842

101.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$707 $707

80.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,443 $1,443

78.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,147 $1,147

67.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,734 $2,734

166.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,560 $2,560

95.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.57

-50.08%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Newton, IA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Newton, IA

$707 36.8% 44.6% $569

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Newton, IA

$377 19.6% 15.9% $52

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Newton, IA

$308 16% 14.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Newton, IA

$311 16.2% 35.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Newton, IA

$96 5% 38.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Newton, IA

$103 5.4% 33.9% $26

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Newton, IA

$19 * 1% 60.3% $29

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 $842 in Newton, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $62.0 in Newton, IA. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $377, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Newton, IA

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

08:59 8:59 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

85,146

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Newton, IA 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Newton, 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 Newton, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Newton, IA differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,921 including rent). Newton, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $2,881 in Newton, IA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $842 in Newton, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $998 in Newton, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Newton, IA – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,921 in Newton, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Newton, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Newton, IA 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 Newton, IA 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 Newton, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.