Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Barcelona

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Iowa City, IA is 13.5% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 1.4% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Iowa City, IA is 11.4% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 7.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Iowa City, IA
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.27 $15.27
$17.41 โ‚ฌ15.03
-12.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.8 $75.8
$68.7 โ‚ฌ59.3
10.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 $8.76
$13.71 โ‚ฌ11.84
-36.11%
Cappuccino
$5.26 $5.26
$2.78 โ‚ฌ2.4
89.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 $2.38
$2.8 โ‚ฌ2.42
-15.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 $1.79
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
-9.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.05 $5.05
$4.43 โ‚ฌ3.83
14.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.11 $7.11
$4.53 โ‚ฌ3.91
56.95%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Iowa City, IA
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.87 $0.87
$1.24 โ‚ฌ1.07
-29.84%
White Bread (500g)
$2.75 $2.75
$2.03 โ‚ฌ1.75
35.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.74 $4.74
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
139.39%
Eggs
$4.09 $4.09
$3.46 โ‚ฌ2.99
18.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.32 $9.32
$18.32 โ‚ฌ15.82
-49.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.46 $10.46
$9.82 โ‚ฌ8.47
6.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.66 $16.66
$19.24 โ‚ฌ16.61
-13.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.29 $3.29
$2.61 โ‚ฌ2.25
26.05%
Banana (1kg)
$1.16 $1.16
$2.34 โ‚ฌ2.02
-50.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.76 $2.76
$2.11 โ‚ฌ1.82
30.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.64 $4.64
$2.77 โ‚ฌ2.39
67.51%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 $2.05
$2.04 โ‚ฌ1.76
0.49%
Onion (1kg)
$2.86 $2.86
$1.77 โ‚ฌ1.53
61.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.5 โ‚ฌ1.3
34.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.97 $1.97
$0.85 โ‚ฌ0.73
131.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.21 $9.21
$7 โ‚ฌ6.04
31.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.1 $12.1
$7.13 โ‚ฌ6.16
69.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 $1.76
$1.43 โ‚ฌ1.24
23.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.69 $4.69
$2.29 โ‚ฌ1.98
104.80%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Iowa City, IA
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.02 $2.02
$3.02 โ‚ฌ2.6
-33.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.78 $15.78
$28.97 โ‚ฌ25.01
-45.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.54 $4.54
$4.59 โ‚ฌ3.96
-1.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.22 $2.22
$2.02 โ‚ฌ1.74
9.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.62 $42.62
$29.56 โ‚ฌ25.53
44.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 $0.83
$1.81 โ‚ฌ1.56
-54.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.9K $24.9K
$38.4K โ‚ฌ33.1K
-35.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K $25.5K
$32.4K โ‚ฌ28K
-21.38%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iowa City, IA
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$219 $219
$190 โ‚ฌ164
15.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$50.2 $50.2
$22.18 โ‚ฌ19.15
126.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.8 $73.8
$36.37 โ‚ฌ31.4
102.86%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Iowa City, IA
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.89 $48.89
$57.4 โ‚ฌ49.55
-14.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.26 $20.26
$20.95 โ‚ฌ18.09
-3.29%
Cinema Ticket
$12.21 $12.21
$10.8 โ‚ฌ9.33
13.06%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Iowa City, IA
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,252 $1,252
$732 โ‚ฌ632
71.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.9K $24.9K
$15.1K โ‚ฌ13.1K
64.81%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Iowa City, IA
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.1 $67.1
$86.8 โ‚ฌ74.9
-22.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.76 $47.76
$36.78 โ‚ฌ31.76
29.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.3 $98.3
$102 โ‚ฌ88.2
-3.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 $116
$117 โ‚ฌ101
-0.98%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Iowa City, IA
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,227 $1,227
$1,581 โ‚ฌ1,365
-22.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,105 $1,105
$1,230 โ‚ฌ1,062
-10.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,402 $2,402
$2,707 โ‚ฌ2,337
-11.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 $1,549
$2,028 โ‚ฌ1,751
-23.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,842 $3,842
$6,602 โ‚ฌ5,700
-41.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,800 $1,800
$5,045 โ‚ฌ4,356
-64.33%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Iowa City, IA
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,808 $3,808
$2,198 โ‚ฌ1,898
73.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
3.39
89.68%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 29, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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