Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Iowa City, IA: $2,251 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Iowa City, IA versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Iowa City, IA $2,251
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,264 in Iowa City, IA versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Iowa City, IA $3,264
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,276 in Iowa City, IA versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Iowa City, IA $4,276
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Iowa City, IA costs roughly 8% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Iowa City, IA 65% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$17.59 €15.76

-14.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 $67.3

$67.5 €60.5

-0.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$13.53 €12.12

-33.26%

Cappuccino

$5.54 $5.54

$3.19 €2.86

73.67%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$2.91 €2.61

-4.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.89 €1.70

17.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$4.01 €3.59

21.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$4.53 €4.06

57.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.31 €1.17

-29.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.02 €1.81

38.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.85 €1.66

9.19%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$4.83 €4.33

-23.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 $9.43

$16.74 €15.00

-43.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 $10.64

$9.12 €8.17

16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.95 $19.95

$19.64 €17.60

1.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.98 €2.67

13.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.02 €1.81

-39.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.70 €2.42

-1.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.80 €2.51

73.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.09 €1.87

-5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.07 €1.85

14.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.46 €1.31

17.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.94 €0.84

153.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$6.87 €6.16

47.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$7.89 €7.07

73.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.41 €1.26

21.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.54 €2.27

78.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.99 €2.68

30.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.49 €1.34

32.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.67 $43.67

$33.37 €29.91

30.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.80 €1.61

-45.00%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.2K €29.7K

-18.11%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$31.7K €28.4K

-18.68%

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

$271 $271

$180 €162

50.46%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$13.84 €12.40

271.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 $81.6

$33.70 €30.20

142.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.80 $29.80

$51.5 €46.16

-42.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 $19.65

$15.96 €14.30

23.12%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 $13.86

$10.99 €9.85

26.11%

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

$1,292 $1,292

$917 €821

40.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$16.5K €14.8K

44.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 $64.4

$87.0 €78.0

-26.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 $49.68

$38.51 €34.51

29.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 $98.6

$106 €94.8

-6.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$120 €107

-3.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 $1,242

$1,699 €1,523

-26.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 $1,003

$1,355 €1,214

-26.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$2,603 €2,332

-25.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$2,062 €1,848

-20.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,514 $3,514

$6,915 €6,196

-49.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,811 $1,811

$5,128 €4,595

-64.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,822 $3,822

$2,211 €1,981

72.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.28

96.65%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 35.2% $352

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$404 18%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 43.6% $177

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 8.5% $30

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 1.9% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 7.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 27.8% $16

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 252% $35

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 $1,242 in Iowa City, IA and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays 73% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Iowa City, IA vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

17:24 5:24 PM

7 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iowa City, IA Barcelona 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, 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

Iowa City, IA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,251 in Iowa City, IA and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Iowa City, IA is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Iowa City, 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: $1,242 in Iowa City, IA versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,292 in Iowa City, IA versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,251 per month in Iowa City, IA versus $2,453 in Barcelona – Iowa City, IA is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Iowa City, IA and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.