Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad, Iran and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $478 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

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

🇮🇷 Iran

$478

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/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: $478 in Mashhad versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Mashhad $478
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $766 in Mashhad versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Mashhad $766
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,055 in Mashhad versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Mashhad $1,055
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Mashhad costs roughly 81% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mashhad is 65% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 $2.94

$17.59 €15.75

-83.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.29 $18.29

$67.5 €60.5

-72.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 $4.97

$13.53 €12.12

-63.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.56 $0.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

Cappuccino

$1.10 $1.10

$3.19 €2.86

-65.52%

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

$0.43 $0.43

$2.91 €2.61

-85.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$1.89 €1.70

-86.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 $0.61

$1.31 €1.17

-53.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.21 $0.21

$2.02 €1.81

-89.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.85 €1.66

4.86%

Eggs

$1.12 $1.12

$4.83 €4.33

-76.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$16.74 €14.99

-87.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$9.12 €8.17

-70.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 $10.34

$19.64 €17.59

-47.35%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.98 €2.67

-68.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.02 €1.81

-23.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.70 €2.42

-69.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 $0.61

$2.80 €2.51

-78.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

$2.09 €1.87

-75.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 $0.44

$2.07 €1.85

-78.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.46 €1.31

-64.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.94 €0.84

-69.15%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.91 $0.91

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 $0.77

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 $0.90

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 $3.03

$6.87 €6.15

-55.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.02 $0.02

$3.14 €2.82

-99.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.58 $3.58

$25.45 €22.79

-85.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.20 $0.20

$2.99 €2.68

-93.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.49 €1.34

-65.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 $1.99

$33.37 €29.89

-94.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.80 €1.61

-55.00%

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

$59.3K $59.3K

$33.2K €29.7K

78.59%

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

$68.1K $68.1K

$31.7K €28.4K

114.83%

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

$13.66 $13.66

$180 €162

-92.43%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$13.84 €12.39

-81.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.95 $26.95

$33.70 €30.18

-20.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.25 $19.25

$51.5 €46.13

-62.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.14 $15.14

$15.96 €14.29

-5.14%

Cinema Ticket

$2.05 $2.05

$10.99 €9.85

-81.35%

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

$41.46 $41.46

$917 €821

-95.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$613 $613

$16.5K €14.8K

-96.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.34 $20.34

$87.0 €77.9

-76.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.31 $38.31

$38.51 €34.49

-0.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 $93.2

$106 €94.8

-11.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.8 $69.8

$120 €107

-41.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 $209

$1,699 €1,522

-87.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 $151

$1,355 €1,214

-88.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 $392

$2,603 €2,331

-84.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 $266

$2,062 €1,847

-87.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,153 $1,153

$6,915 €6,193

-83.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$683 $683

$5,128 €4,592

-86.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$250 $250

$2,211 €1,980

-88.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.5

3.28

555.49%

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

Last update for Mashhad: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$151 31.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 799% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$100 20.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 222% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$100 20.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 58.4% $58

Eating Out

Mashhad

$54 11.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 393% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$43 9.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 427% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$23 4.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 215% $50

Getting Around

Mashhad

$6.5 1.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 648% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $209 in Mashhad and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 8.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $18 in Mashhad vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $100 vs $322 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

23:25 11:25 PM

2 h 30 min behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,001,184

1,660,122

💱 Currency

USD USD

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Mashhad Barcelona 4,910 km ≈ 7 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 March 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 $478 in Mashhad and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Mashhad is about 81% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Mashhad. 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: $209 in Mashhad versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $41 in Mashhad versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 222% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $478 in Mashhad versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $800 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.

Expats usually find Mashhad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.