Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad, Iraq and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Mashhad versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Mashhad $756
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,119 in Mashhad versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Mashhad $1,119
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,481 in Mashhad versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Mashhad $1,481
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Mashhad costs roughly 69% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mashhad is 44% below, Barcelona is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.49 IQD 6,781

$17.66 €15.75

-74.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

$67.5 €60.2

-60.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

$13.61 €12.14

-50.55%

Cappuccino

$2.71 IQD 4,100

$3.10 €2.77

-12.58%

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

$0.36 IQD 542

$3.00 €2.68

-88.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$1.93 €1.72

-89.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 IQD 5,090

$3.84 €3.43

-12.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 IQD 5,126

$4.36 €3.89

-22.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 IQD 1,368

$1.25 €1.11

-27.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,106

$2.12 €1.90

-65.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,997

$1.97 €1.76

-32.99%

Eggs

$0.82 IQD 1,242

$4.76 €4.25

-82.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.41 IQD 5,157

$17.07 €15.22

-80.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.98 IQD 2,985

$8.96 €7.99

-77.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.95 IQD 4,463

$20.65 €18.42

-85.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,556

$3.16 €2.82

-67.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,377

$1.97 €1.75

-53.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,321

$2.65 €2.37

-67.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 971

$2.88 €2.57

-77.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 898

$2.06 €1.84

-71.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 840

$2.18 €1.95

-74.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 IQD 474

$1.53 €1.37

-79.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 321

$0.97 €0.87

-78.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.77 IQD 1,168

$6.97 €6.21

-88.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

$7.89 €7.04

49.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 IQD 2,898

$1.42 €1.26

35.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,832

$2.69 €2.40

-30.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 520

$3.31 €2.95

-89.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 IQD 2,965

$3.08 €2.75

-36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 IQD 1,972

$1.48 €1.32

-11.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.42 IQD 9,699

$32.87 €29.32

-80.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 810

$1.87 €1.66

-71.12%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$33.0K €29.4K

-49.06%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$31.9K €28.5K

-48.27%

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

$191 IQD 288.5K

$183 €163

4.43%

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

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

$14.24 €12.70

36.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

$34.56 €30.83

11.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

$51.4 €45.87

-28.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

$11.06 €9.87

-12.39%

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

$143 IQD 215.6K

$944 €842

-84.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

$22.3K €19.9K

-85.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

$87.7 €78.2

-70.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

$38.77 €34.59

-12.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

$105 €93.3

-43.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

$118 €105

-63.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 IQD 319.9K

$1,697 €1,514

-87.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 210.6K

$1,337 €1,192

-89.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 IQD 571.7K

$2,692 €2,401

-85.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 IQD 482.6K

$2,077 €1,853

-84.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$862 IQD 1.3M

$7,155 €6,382

-87.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 IQD 742.5K

$5,079 €4,530

-90.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

3.19

29.15%

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

Last update for Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$249 32.9%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 7% $17

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$139 18.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 859% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$115 15.2%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 185% $213

Eating Out

Mashhad

$115 15.1%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 133% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$72 9.6%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 117% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$56 7.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 31% $17

Getting Around

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3%

Barcelona

$49 2% 400% $39

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 $212 in Mashhad and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Mashhad vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $115 vs $328 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

2 h behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mashhad Barcelona 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
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

Mashhad vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $756 in Mashhad and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Mashhad is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,134 in Mashhad and $3,664 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: $212 in Mashhad versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $143 in Mashhad versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Mashhad versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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, Mashhad and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.