Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sioux City, IA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Sioux City, IA: $2,168 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Sioux City, IA
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Sioux City, IA Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Sioux City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,168

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,168 in Sioux City, IA versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Sioux City, IA $2,168
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,305 in Sioux City, IA versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Sioux City, IA $3,305
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,442 in Sioux City, IA versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Sioux City, IA $4,442
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Sioux City, IA costs roughly 10% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sioux City, IA 61% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 $20.33

$17.94 €15.96

13.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 $56.0

$68.1 €60.5

-17.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 $10.65

$13.28 €11.81

-19.80%

Cappuccino

$6.14 $6.14

$3.25 €2.89

88.92%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$3.01 €2.67

-29.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.87 €1.66

-5.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.85 €3.42

31.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 $5.61

$4.48 €3.98

25.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.29 €1.15

-32.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.04 €1.81

43.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.72 €1.53

96.51%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$4.77 €4.24

-24.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 $7.92

$16.77 €14.92

-52.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$8.93 €7.94

-15.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$19.88 €17.68

-15.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.98 €2.65

59.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.03 €1.80

-25.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.73 €2.43

47.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.68 €2.38

47.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.10 €1.87

-5.24%

Onion (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.08 €1.85

134.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.45 €1.29

64.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.89 €0.79

139.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.94 $8.94

$6.94 €6.17

28.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$7.78 €6.92

94.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.45 €1.29

17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.57 €2.29

19.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.99 €2.66

-40.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.88 $47.88

$25.20 €22.41

90.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.12 €2.77

-36.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.44 €1.28

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$33.50 €29.80

-41.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.79 €1.59

-49.16%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

2.18%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$30.1K €26.7K

-16.71%

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

$167 $167

$178 €158

-6.29%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$13.32 €11.85

293.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$34.88 €31.03

97.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.8 $98.8

$53.3 €47.37

85.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 $20.08

$16.01 €14.24

25.42%

Cinema Ticket

$15.05 $15.05

$11.06 €9.84

36.08%

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

$1,098 $1,098

$957 €851

14.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$16.6K €14.7K

-27.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.40 $43.40

$88.2 €78.4

-50.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.73 $21.73

$39.49 €35.12

-44.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 $77.2

$103 €91.5

-24.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 $89.3

$121 €108

-26.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 $923

$1,653 €1,470

-44.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$922 $922

$1,302 €1,158

-29.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 $1,481

$2,557 €2,275

-42.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 $1,743

$1,915 €1,703

-8.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,546 $1,546

$7,286 €6,481

-78.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,546 $1,546

$5,080 €4,519

-69.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,592 $3,592

$2,281 €2,029

57.51%

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 Sioux City, IA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sioux City, IA

$922 42.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 41.2% $380

Groceries & Markets

Sioux City, IA

$342 15.8%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 6.4% $22

Eating Out

Sioux City, IA

$320 14.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 15.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sioux City, IA

$288 13.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 21.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Sioux City, IA

$129 5.9%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 41.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Sioux City, IA

$104 4.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 51.9% $54

Getting Around

Sioux City, IA

$63 2.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 24.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Sioux City, IA and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sioux City, IA pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Sioux City, IA vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $342 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sioux City, IA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

17:25 5:25 PM

7 h ahead of Sioux City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,797

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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Between locations

Sioux City, IA Barcelona 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sioux 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

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

Sioux City, IA and Barcelona differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,168 vs $2,399 including rent). Sioux City, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Sioux 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: $923 in Sioux City, IA versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,098 in Sioux City, IA versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,168 in Sioux City, IA versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sioux City, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sioux City, 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, Sioux City, 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 Sioux City, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.