Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sulaymaniyah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $773 in Sulaymaniyah.

Barcelona $2,405
Sulaymaniyah $773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah.

Barcelona $3,477
Sulaymaniyah $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah.

Barcelona $4,550
Sulaymaniyah $1,615

Living in Barcelona is roughly 211% more expensive than in Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 79% above, Sulaymaniyah is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$5.07 IQD 7,660

254.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

194.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

89.91%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$2.88 IQD 4,344

15.97%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$0.50 IQD 759

490.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.25 IQD 378

660.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$3.93 IQD 5,943

-1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$2.27 IQD 3,427

101.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.28 IQD 1,935

-0.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.01 IQD 1,519

94.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.86 IQD 2,812

-5.91%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$1.77 IQD 2,672

176.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$4.96 IQD 7,490

252.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$4.22 IQD 6,382

114.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

31.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.28 IQD 1,935

140.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.28 IQD 1,937

58.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.15 IQD 1,737

126.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$0.68 IQD 1,025

298.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$0.56 IQD 847

283.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.73 IQD 1,096

202.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.73 IQD 1,101

110.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.50 IQD 752

86.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$2.28 IQD 3,444

210.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

-32.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.95 IQD 2,949

-23.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.42 IQD 2,141

92.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.60 IQD 902

391.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$22.68 IQD 34.3K

14.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$2.22 IQD 3,361

40.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.34 IQD 3,531

-38.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$5.50 IQD 8,306

521.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.69 IQD 1,045

159.42%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

66.18%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

59.94%

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

$181 €161

$100 IQD 151.7K

80.01%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

18.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$28.04 IQD 42.4K

25.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$39.70 IQD 60.0K

33.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$20.09 IQD 30.4K

-20.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$7.58 IQD 11.5K

50.00%

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

$939 €838

$173 IQD 261.0K

443.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$2,946 IQD 4.5M

460.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

366.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$25.19 IQD 38.1K

57.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

139.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

209.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$215 IQD 324.7K

688.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$175 IQD 264.2K

643.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$492 IQD 743.9K

423.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$363 IQD 548.8K

434.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$786 IQD 1.2M

849.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$630 IQD 952.4K

724.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$584 IQD 882.1K

293.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.77

-43.15%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5% 86.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2% 42% $137

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9% 54.6% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18% 39% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3% 64.1% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1% 27.7% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5% 19% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $215 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 294% 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 $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $188 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

17:22 5:22 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

823,199

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Sulaymaniyah 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sulaymaniyah differ by about 211% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $773 including rent). Sulaymaniyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 294% 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 $215 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $173 in Sulaymaniyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $773 in Sulaymaniyah versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 211% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.