Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $956 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in Erbil versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Erbil $956
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,421 in Erbil versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Erbil $1,421
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,887 in Erbil versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Erbil $1,887
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Erbil costs roughly 60% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Erbil is 29% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 IQD 9,753

$17.94 €15.96

-64.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

$68.1 €60.5

-46.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

$13.28 €11.81

-46.61%

Cappuccino

$3.23 IQD 4,873

$3.25 €2.89

-0.62%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,338

$3.01 €2.67

-70.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$1.87 €1.66

-82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 IQD 7,819

$3.85 €3.42

34.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,825

$4.48 €3.98

-14.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 IQD 1,600

$1.29 €1.15

-17.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$2.04 €1.81

-64.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,300

$1.72 €1.53

-11.63%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$4.77 €4.24

-67.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

$16.77 €14.92

-58.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 IQD 6,458

$8.93 €7.94

-52.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

$19.88 €17.68

-37.07%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$2.98 €2.65

-66.78%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,495

$2.03 €1.80

-51.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$2.73 €2.43

-62.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 988

$2.68 €2.38

-75.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 964

$2.10 €1.87

-69.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 925

$2.08 €1.85

-70.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 909

$1.45 €1.29

-58.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 709

$0.89 €0.79

-47.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 IQD 3,250

$6.94 €6.17

-69.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

$7.78 €6.92

38.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 IQD 2,222

$1.45 €1.29

1.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,825

$2.57 €2.29

-27.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 IQD 718

$2.99 €2.66

-83.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

$25.20 €22.41

54.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$3.12 €2.77

-46.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$1.44 €1.28

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 IQD 8,566

$33.50 €29.80

-83.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$1.79 €1.59

-69.27%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

$34.6K €30.8K

-52.82%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$30.1K €26.7K

-43.57%

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

$113 IQD 170.3K

$178 €158

-36.63%

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

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

$13.32 €11.85

-8.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

$34.88 €31.03

-30.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

$53.3 €47.37

6.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

$16.01 €14.24

-16.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

$11.06 €9.84

-9.58%

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

$315 IQD 476.0K

$957 €851

-67.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

$16.6K €14.7K

-83.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

$88.2 €78.4

-69.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

$39.49 €35.12

0.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$103 €91.5

-42.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$121 €108

-51.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 639.7K

$1,653 €1,470

-74.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 IQD 415.2K

$1,302 €1,158

-78.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 IQD 1.1M

$2,557 €2,275

-72.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 IQD 613.1K

$1,915 €1,703

-78.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$7,286 €6,481

-85.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$608 IQD 919.3K

$5,080 €4,519

-88.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 IQD 793.9K

$2,281 €2,029

-76.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

3.28

-22.87%

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

Last update for Erbil: 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

Erbil

$275 28.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 374% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 86.1% $148

Eating Out

Erbil

$150 15.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 80% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$149 15.6%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 51.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 90.1% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 1.6% $1.2

Getting Around

Erbil

$50 5.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 5.9% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $423 in Erbil and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 334% 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: $36.00 in Erbil vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $320 per month, with Erbil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

1 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Barcelona 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
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

Erbil vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil and Barcelona differ by about 151% in total monthly costs ($956 vs $2,399 including rent). Erbil is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 334% lower in Barcelona. 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: $423 in Erbil versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $315 in Erbil versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $956 in Erbil versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Erbil but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Erbil 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, Erbil 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 Erbil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.