Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cedar Rapids, IA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cedar Rapids, IA: $2,058 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Cedar Rapids, IA
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Cedar Rapids, IA Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Cedar Rapids, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,058

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cedar Rapids, IA and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cedar Rapids, IA and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,058 in Cedar Rapids, IA versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Cedar Rapids, IA $2,058
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,080 in Cedar Rapids, IA versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Cedar Rapids, IA $3,080
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,101 in Cedar Rapids, IA versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Cedar Rapids, IA $4,101
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Cedar Rapids, IA costs roughly 14% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cedar Rapids, IA 52% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$17.94 €15.96

-15.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 $69.7

$68.1 €60.5

2.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 $10.84

$13.28 €11.81

-18.37%

Cappuccino

$5.81 $5.81

$3.25 €2.89

78.77%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$3.01 €2.67

-7.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.87 €1.66

0.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.85 €3.42

20.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 $5.87

$4.48 €3.98

31.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.29 €1.15

-45.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.04 €1.81

20.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.72 €1.53

173.26%

Eggs

$2.52 $2.52

$4.77 €4.24

-47.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 $14.10

$16.77 €14.92

-15.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 $10.94

$8.93 €7.94

22.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$19.88 €17.68

-18.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.98 €2.65

65.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.03 €1.80

-45.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.73 €2.43

92.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.68 €2.38

70.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.10 €1.87

23.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.08 €1.85

6.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.45 €1.29

38.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.89 €0.79

150.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.01 $10.01

$6.94 €6.17

44.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 $10.82

$7.78 €6.92

39.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.45 €1.29

50.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.57 €2.29

26.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.99 €2.66

-42.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.20 $30.20

$25.20 €22.41

19.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.12 €2.77

11.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.44 €1.28

27.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.60 $45.60

$33.50 €29.80

36.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.79 €1.59

-52.51%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$34.6K €30.8K

4.35%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$30.1K €26.7K

-11.61%

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

$208 $208

$178 €158

16.70%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$13.32 €11.85

290.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$34.88 €31.03

101.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 $102

$53.3 €47.37

92.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.05 $19.05

$16.01 €14.24

18.99%

Cinema Ticket

$12.77 $12.77

$11.06 €9.84

15.46%

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

$893 $893

$957 €851

-6.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K $12.8K

$16.6K €14.7K

-22.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 $62.5

$88.2 €78.4

-29.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 $63.5

$39.49 €35.12

60.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$103 €91.5

24.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$121 €108

25.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$1,653 €1,470

-30.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 $724

$1,302 €1,158

-44.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$2,557 €2,275

-36.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 $1,194

$1,915 €1,703

-37.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,582 $1,582

$7,286 €6,481

-78.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,547 $1,547

$5,080 €4,519

-69.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,682 $3,682

$2,281 €2,029

61.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

3.28

102.13%

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

Last update for Cedar Rapids, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cedar Rapids, IA

$724 35.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 79.9% $578

Groceries & Markets

Cedar Rapids, IA

$367 17.9%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 12.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cedar Rapids, IA

$330 16%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 31.4% $104

Eating Out

Cedar Rapids, IA

$277 13.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 2.4% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Cedar Rapids, IA

$183 8.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 13.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Cedar Rapids, IA

$128 6.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 41.1% $53

Getting Around

Cedar Rapids, IA

$50 2.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 4.4% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,141 in Cedar Rapids, IA and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cedar Rapids, IA pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Cedar Rapids, IA vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $367 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cedar Rapids, IA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

19:38 7:38 PM

7 h ahead of Cedar Rapids, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

137,710

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cedar Rapids, IA Barcelona 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cedar Rapids, IA
Barcelona

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

Cedar Rapids, IA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cedar Rapids, IA and Barcelona differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,058 vs $2,399 including rent). Cedar Rapids, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Cedar Rapids, IA, 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: $1,141 in Cedar Rapids, IA versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $893 in Cedar Rapids, IA versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,058 in Cedar Rapids, IA versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cedar Rapids, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Cedar Rapids, 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, Cedar Rapids, IA and Barcelona 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 Cedar Rapids, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.