Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iola, KS and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,638 in Iola, KS, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Iola, KS
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Iola, KS Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Iola, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,638

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,638 in Iola, KS versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Iola, KS $2,638
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,771 in Iola, KS versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Iola, KS $3,771
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,904 in Iola, KS versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Iola, KS $4,904
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Iola, KS is roughly 11% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Iola, KS 95% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.04 $27.04

$17.89 €15.92

51.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$66.2 €58.9

-9.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$13.69 €12.18

-18.99%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$3.06 €2.72

63.73%

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

$2.20 $2.20

$3.07 €2.73

-28.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.94 €1.73

13.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.87 €3.44

19.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 $6.53

$4.61 €4.10

41.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.30 €1.16

-13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.10 €1.87

59.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.83 €1.62

16.94%

Eggs

$3.70 $3.70

$4.62 €4.11

-19.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 $10.96

$17.36 €15.44

-36.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 $8.72

$9.28 €8.25

-6.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$19.83 €17.64

-23.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.01 €2.68

45.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.03 €1.81

-46.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.65 €2.36

13.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.87 €2.55

56.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.16 €1.92

-21.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.15 €1.91

7.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.47 €1.31

19.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.88 €0.79

127.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.80 $7.80

$6.93 €6.16

12.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 $13.26

$7.83 €6.96

69.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.39 €1.24

27.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.63 €2.34

64.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.91 €2.59

-34.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.00 €2.66

-3.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.44 €1.28

-3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.65 $35.65

$33.20 €29.53

7.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.86 €1.65

-49.46%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-13.69%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$31.7K €28.2K

-14.20%

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

$268 $268

$183 €163

46.67%

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

$59.6 $59.6

$13.61 €12.11

337.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.9 $73.9

$32.93 €29.29

124.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 $46.01

$54.7 €48.65

-15.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 $11.94

$11.23 €9.99

6.32%

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

$760 $760

$954 €849

-20.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$16.6K €14.8K

26.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 $73.4

$86.0 €76.5

-14.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.20 $37.20

$39.11 €34.78

-4.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 $78.1

$104 €92.2

-24.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$119 €106

4.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$1,695 €1,508

-7.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 $1,308

$1,276 €1,135

2.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,512 $2,512

$2,576 €2,291

-2.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,922 €1,710

10.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 $2,470

$7,281 €6,477

-66.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,702 $2,702

$5,010 €4,456

-46.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

3.28

93.90%

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

Last update for Iola, KS: 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

Iola, KS

$1.3K 49.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 2.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iola, KS

$402 15.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 42.9% $172

Eating Out

Iola, KS

$364 13.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 25.9% $94

Groceries & Markets

Iola, KS

$338 12.8%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 3.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Iola, KS

$141 5.3%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 11.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Iola, KS

$70 2.7%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 10.4% $7.3

Getting Around

Iola, KS

$17 * 0.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 171% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,569 in Iola, KS and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Iola, KS vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $338 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iola, KS

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

11:32 11:32 AM

7 h ahead of Iola, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,400

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

Iola, KS Barcelona 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Iola, KS
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

Iola, KS vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iola, KS and Barcelona differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,638 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,958 in Iola, KS and $3,571 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,569 in Iola, KS versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $760 in Iola, KS versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $60.0 in Iola, KS. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Iola, KS 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Iola, KS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.