Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Urbandale, IA

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Urbandale, IA: $2,381 and $2,310 a month, rent and utilities included.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Urbandale, IA
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Urbandale, IA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Urbandale, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,310 in Urbandale, IA.

Barcelona $2,381
Urbandale, IA $2,310

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,374 in Urbandale, IA.

Barcelona $3,406
Urbandale, IA $3,374

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,437 in Urbandale, IA.

Barcelona $4,431
Urbandale, IA $4,437

Living in Barcelona is roughly 3% more expensive than in Urbandale, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Urbandale, IA 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.86 $14.86

20.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$50.9 $50.9

29.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$9.96 $9.96

37.45%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.97 $4.97

-38.43%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.21 $1.21

153.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.99 $0.99

95.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.15 $5.15

-24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$7.58 $7.58

-39.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.01 $1.01

28.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.25 $3.25

-35.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.84 $3.84

-52.34%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.05 $2.05

125.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$14.07 $14.07

23.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.88 $9.88

-6.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$13.88 $13.88

42.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.21 $3.21

-6.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.61 $1.61

26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.47 $3.47

-23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.29 $3.29

-12.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.09 $3.09

-30.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.37 $3.37

-36.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.14 $2.14

-31.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.10 $2.10

-58.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$8.16 $8.16

-15.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$12.04 $12.04

-34.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.82 $1.82

-23.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.87 $1.87

40.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.05 $2.05

41.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$66.0 $66.0

-61.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.46 $2.46

21.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.20 $1.20

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$60.2 $60.2

-44.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.98 $0.98

89.80%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$34.6K $34.6K

-6.42%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.6K $25.6K

23.74%

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

$183 €163

$140 $140

30.85%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$14.79 $14.79

-7.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$25.01 $25.01

31.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$35.57 $35.57

53.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$20.34 $20.34

-18.78%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$14.81 $14.81

-24.17%

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

$954 €849

$1,164 $1,164

-18.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$20.7K $20.7K

-19.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$61.3 $61.3

40.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$21.96 $21.96

78.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$45.54 $45.54

127.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$75.1 $75.1

58.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$933 $933

81.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,290 $1,290

-1.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,237 $1,237

108.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$2,164 $2,164

-11.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,777 $2,777

162.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,710 $2,710

84.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,637 $3,637

-38.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.56

-50.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Urbandale, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Urbandale, IA

$1.3K 55.9% 1.1% $14

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Urbandale, IA

$342 14.8% 5.3% $17

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Urbandale, IA

$258 11.2% 4.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Urbandale, IA

$179 7.8% 21.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Urbandale, IA

$92 4% 41.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Urbandale, IA

$65 2.8% 15.5% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Urbandale, IA

$83 3.6% 74.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $933 in Urbandale, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Urbandale, IA pays 63% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $51.0 in Urbandale, IA. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $342, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Urbandale, IA

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

08:17 8:17 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

45,580

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Urbandale, IA 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Urbandale, IA

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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 Urbandale, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Urbandale, IA differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,310 including rent). Urbandale, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Urbandale, IA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $933 in Urbandale, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,164 in Urbandale, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,310 in Urbandale, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Urbandale, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Urbandale, 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 Urbandale, 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 Urbandale, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.