Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newton, IA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Newton, IA: $1,921 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Newton, IA
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Newton, IA Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Newton, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,921

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,921 in Newton, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Newton, IA $1,921
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,851 in Newton, IA versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Newton, IA $2,851
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,780 in Newton, IA versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Newton, IA $3,780
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Newton, IA costs roughly 19% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Newton, IA 42% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$17.89 €15.92

10.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.6 $61.6

$66.2 €58.9

-6.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 $10.62

$13.69 €12.18

-22.43%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.06 €2.72

61.76%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$3.07 €2.73

-14.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.94 €1.73

-1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.87 €3.44

31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 $7.61

$4.61 €4.10

65.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.30 €1.16

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.10 €1.87

53.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.83 €1.62

131.69%

Eggs

$2.74 $2.74

$4.62 €4.11

-40.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$17.36 €15.44

-61.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.62 $12.62

$9.28 €8.25

35.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.80 $16.80

$19.83 €17.64

-15.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$3.01 €2.68

78.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.03 €1.81

1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.65 €2.36

78.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.87 €2.55

51.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.16 €1.92

-13.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.15 €1.91

34.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.47 €1.31

36.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.88 €0.79

226.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.19 $9.19

$6.93 €6.16

32.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 $9.90

$7.83 €6.96

26.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.39 €1.24

30.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.63 €2.34

122.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.91 €2.59

-24.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.00 €2.66

1.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.44 €1.28

-3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.81 $24.81

$33.20 €29.53

-25.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.86 €1.65

-43.55%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$32.3K €28.8K

-0.71%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$31.7K €28.2K

-22.66%

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

$182 $182

$183 €163

-0.66%

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

$62.8 $62.8

$13.61 €12.11

361.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 $67.1

$32.93 €29.29

103.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 $73.8

$54.7 €48.65

34.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$14.78 $14.78

$11.23 €9.99

31.61%

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

$998 $998

$954 €849

4.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$16.6K €14.8K

17.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.97 $17.97

$86.0 €76.5

-79.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.75 $14.75

$39.11 €34.78

-62.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 $80.8

$104 €92.2

-22.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 $99.4

$119 €106

-16.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 $842

$1,695 €1,508

-50.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$1,276 €1,135

-44.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 $1,443

$2,576 €2,291

-43.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 $1,147

$1,922 €1,710

-40.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,734 $2,734

$7,281 €6,477

-62.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,560 $2,560

$5,010 €4,456

-48.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

3.28

100.30%

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

Last update for Newton, IA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newton, IA

$707 36.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 80.4% $569

Groceries & Markets

Newton, IA

$377 19.6%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 13.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newton, IA

$311 16.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 26.4% $82

Eating Out

Newton, IA

$308 16%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 12.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Newton, IA

$103 5.4%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 25.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Newton, IA

$96 5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 63.2% $61

Getting Around

Newton, IA

$19 * 1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 152% $29

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 $842 in Newton, IA and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Newton, IA vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newton, IA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

15:17 3:17 PM

7 h ahead of Newton, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,146

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar 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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Highest

Between locations

Newton, IA Barcelona 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Newton, 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

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

Newton, IA and Barcelona differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,921 vs $2,381 including rent). Newton, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,881 in Newton, IA and $3,571 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: $842 in Newton, IA versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $998 in Newton, IA versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Newton, IA – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,921 in Newton, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Newton, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Newton, IA 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, Newton, IA 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 Newton, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.