Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isfahan and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Isfahan: $470 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Isfahan
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Isfahan Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Isfahan

🇮🇷 Iran

$470

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $470 in Isfahan versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Isfahan $470
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $802 in Isfahan versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Isfahan $802
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,134 in Isfahan versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Isfahan $1,134
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Isfahan costs roughly 80% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isfahan is 65% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 $3.07

$17.94 €15.96

-82.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.72 $12.72

$68.1 €60.5

-81.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.01 $3.01

$13.28 €11.81

-77.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.76 $0.76

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

Cappuccino

$1.01 $1.01

$3.25 €2.89

-68.92%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$3.01 €2.67

-83.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.87 €1.66

-74.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

Milk (1 liter)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.29 €1.15

-62.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 $0.46

$2.04 €1.81

-77.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.72 €1.53

14.53%

Eggs

$1.51 $1.51

$4.77 €4.24

-68.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$16.77 €14.92

-83.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$8.93 €7.94

-72.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.57 $10.57

$19.88 €17.68

-46.83%

Apples (1kg)

$0.76 $0.76

$2.98 €2.65

-74.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$2.03 €1.80

-36.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.73 €2.43

-61.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 $0.61

$2.68 €2.38

-77.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 $0.61

$2.10 €1.87

-70.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$2.08 €1.85

-76.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 $0.59

$1.45 €1.29

-59.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 $0.21

$0.89 €0.79

-76.40%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.52 $0.52

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 $0.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 $2.07

$6.94 €6.17

-70.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$2.99 €2.66

-90.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.52 $12.52

$25.20 €22.41

-50.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 $0.51

$3.12 €2.77

-83.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$1.44 €1.28

-78.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 $2.04

$33.50 €29.80

-93.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.79 €1.59

-48.60%

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

$67.9K $67.9K

$34.6K €30.8K

95.94%

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

$58.5K $58.5K

$30.1K €26.7K

94.57%

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

$10.26 $10.26

$178 €158

-94.23%

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

$1.99 $1.99

$13.32 €11.85

-85.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.48 $7.48

$34.88 €31.03

-78.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.64 $13.64

$53.3 €47.37

-74.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.19 $13.19

$16.01 €14.24

-17.61%

Cinema Ticket

$1.02 $1.02

$11.06 €9.84

-90.78%

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

$72.2 $72.2

$957 €851

-92.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$533 $533

$16.6K €14.7K

-96.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.62 $18.62

$88.2 €78.4

-78.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.77 $23.77

$39.49 €35.12

-39.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 $86.2

$103 €91.5

-16.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.85 $37.85

$121 €108

-68.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 $289

$1,653 €1,470

-82.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 $192

$1,302 €1,158

-85.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 $1,311

$2,557 €2,275

-48.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 $454

$1,915 €1,703

-76.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,176 $1,176

$7,286 €6,481

-83.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$736 $736

$5,080 €4,519

-85.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$203 $203

$2,281 €2,029

-91.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.8

3.28

717.07%

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

Last update for Isfahan: 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

Isfahan

$192 41%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 577% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Isfahan

$102 21.7%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 215% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Isfahan

$75 15.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 112% $84

Eating Out

Isfahan

$50 10.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 445% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isfahan

$20 4.2%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 1046% $206

Getting Around

Isfahan

$16 3.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 201% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Isfahan

$16 3.3%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 380% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $289 in Isfahan and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 1023% 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: $13.00 in Isfahan vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $320 per month, with Isfahan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Isfahan

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

1 h 30 min behind Isfahan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,961,260

1,660,122

💱 Currency

USD 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

Isfahan Barcelona 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Isfahan
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Isfahan vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isfahan and Barcelona differ by about 411% in total monthly costs ($470 vs $2,399 including rent). Isfahan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1023% 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: $289 in Isfahan versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $72.2 in Isfahan 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 215% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $470 in Isfahan versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Isfahan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Isfahan 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, Isfahan 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 Isfahan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 411% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.