Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Des Moines, IA: $2,171 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

105

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,171

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,171 in Des Moines, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Des Moines, IA $2,171
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,236 in Des Moines, IA versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Des Moines, IA $3,236
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,301 in Des Moines, IA versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Des Moines, IA $4,301
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Des Moines, IA costs roughly 9% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Des Moines, IA 60% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$17.89 €15.92

10.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 $80.8

$66.2 €58.9

22.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$13.69 €12.18

-10.74%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$3.06 €2.72

101.31%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$3.07 €2.73

-4.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.94 €1.73

31.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.87 €3.44

28.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.61 €4.10

27.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.30 €1.16

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.10 €1.87

44.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.83 €1.62

84.70%

Eggs

$4.00 $4.00

$4.62 €4.11

-13.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 $9.69

$17.36 €15.44

-44.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$9.28 €8.25

6.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$19.83 €17.64

-31.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.01 €2.68

43.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.03 €1.81

-25.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.65 €2.36

71.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.87 €2.55

28.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.16 €1.92

42.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.15 €1.91

-0.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.47 €1.31

61.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.88 €0.79

148.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 $7.85

$6.93 €6.16

13.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$7.83 €6.96

88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.39 €1.24

22.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.63 €2.34

17.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.91 €2.59

-40.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.1 $58.1

$25.46 €22.64

128.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.00 €2.66

-34.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.44 €1.28

-14.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.70 $19.70

$33.20 €29.53

-40.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.86 €1.65

-50.00%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$32.3K €28.8K

-15.97%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$31.7K €28.2K

-20.68%

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

$185 $185

$183 €163

1.01%

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

$53.6 $53.6

$13.61 €12.11

293.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$32.93 €29.29

113.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 $63.8

$54.7 €48.65

16.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$16.52 €14.70

21.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 $9.99

$11.23 €9.99

-11.04%

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

$1,187 $1,187

$954 €849

24.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$16.6K €14.8K

-28.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 $59.5

$86.0 €76.5

-30.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.98 $42.98

$39.11 €34.78

9.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$104 €92.2

-2.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$119 €106

22.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 $1,177

$1,695 €1,508

-30.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$872 $872

$1,276 €1,135

-31.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$2,576 €2,291

-32.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 $1,394

$1,922 €1,710

-27.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$7,281 €6,477

-68.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,325 $2,325

$5,010 €4,456

-53.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,647 $3,647

$2,227 €1,981

63.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

3.28

100.00%

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

Last update for Des Moines, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Moines, IA

$872 40.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 46.3% $404

Groceries & Markets

Des Moines, IA

$349 16.1%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 7% $24

Eating Out

Des Moines, IA

$327 15.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 17.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Moines, IA

$308 14.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 25.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Des Moines, IA

$157 7.2%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Des Moines, IA

$84 3.9%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 7.9% $6.6

Getting Around

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 35.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,177 in Des Moines, IA and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays 64% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Des Moines, IA vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

02:38 2:38 AM

09:38 9:38 AM

7 h ahead of Des Moines, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,133

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Des Moines, IA Barcelona 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Moines, 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

Des Moines, IA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Des Moines, IA and Barcelona differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,171 vs $2,381 including rent). Des Moines, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 64% higher in Des Moines, 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: $1,177 in Des Moines, IA versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,187 in Des Moines, IA versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,171 in Des Moines, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Des Moines, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Des Moines, 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, Des Moines, 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 Des Moines, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.