Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $773 in Sulaymaniyah versus $2,405 in Barcelona.

Sulaymaniyah $773
Barcelona $2,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah versus $3,477 in Barcelona.

Sulaymaniyah $1,194
Barcelona $3,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah versus $4,550 in Barcelona.

Sulaymaniyah $1,615
Barcelona $4,550

Living in Sulaymaniyah costs roughly 68% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sulaymaniyah is 42% below, Barcelona is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.07 IQD 7,660

$17.98 €16.05

-71.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

$67.4 €60.2

-65.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

$13.37 €11.93

-47.34%

Cappuccino

$2.88 IQD 4,344

$3.34 €2.98

-13.77%

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

$0.50 IQD 759

$2.95 €2.64

-83.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 IQD 378

$1.90 €1.69

-86.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 IQD 5,943

$3.88 €3.46

1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 IQD 3,427

$4.57 €4.08

-50.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 IQD 1,935

$1.27 €1.13

0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 IQD 1,519

$1.96 €1.75

-48.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 IQD 2,812

$1.75 €1.56

6.29%

Eggs

$1.77 IQD 2,672

$4.89 €4.36

-63.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.96 IQD 7,490

$17.47 €15.59

-71.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 IQD 6,382

$9.06 €8.09

-53.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

$20.18 €18.01

-24.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 IQD 1,935

$3.08 €2.75

-58.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 IQD 1,937

$2.03 €1.81

-36.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 IQD 1,737

$2.60 €2.32

-55.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,025

$2.71 €2.42

-74.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 847

$2.15 €1.92

-73.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 IQD 1,096

$2.21 €1.97

-66.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$1.54 €1.38

-52.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 IQD 752

$0.93 €0.83

-46.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 IQD 3,444

$7.09 €6.32

-67.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

$7.63 €6.81

47.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 IQD 2,949

$1.49 €1.33

30.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 IQD 2,141

$2.73 €2.43

-47.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 IQD 902

$2.95 €2.63

-79.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.68 IQD 34.3K

$25.91 €23.13

-12.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 IQD 3,361

$3.13 €2.80

-29.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 IQD 3,531

$1.45 €1.29

61.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 IQD 8,306

$34.17 €30.49

-83.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 IQD 1,045

$1.79 €1.60

-61.45%

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

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

$34.7K €31.0K

-39.82%

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

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

$30.3K €27.0K

-37.48%

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

$100 IQD 151.7K

$181 €161

-44.45%

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

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

$13.56 €12.10

-15.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.04 IQD 42.4K

$35.12 €31.34

-20.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.70 IQD 60.0K

$53.2 €47.44

-25.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 IQD 30.4K

$16.05 €14.33

25.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 IQD 11.5K

$11.37 €10.14

-33.33%

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

$173 IQD 261.0K

$939 €838

-81.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,946 IQD 4.5M

$16.5K €14.7K

-82.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

$88.2 €78.7

-78.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.19 IQD 38.1K

$39.77 €35.49

-36.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

$103 €92.3

-58.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

$119 €107

-67.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 IQD 324.7K

$1,695 €1,513

-87.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 IQD 264.2K

$1,301 €1,161

-86.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 IQD 743.9K

$2,576 €2,299

-80.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 IQD 548.8K

$1,941 €1,732

-81.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$786 IQD 1.2M

$7,470 €6,666

-89.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$630 IQD 952.4K

$5,195 €4,636

-87.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 IQD 882.1K

$2,299 €2,052

-74.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

3.28

75.91%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 72.4% $137

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 644% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 64% $89

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 120% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 179% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 38.3% $21

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 23.4% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $215 in Sulaymaniyah and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 294% 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: $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah vs $67.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $325 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

1 h behind Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Barcelona 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sulaymaniyah
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

Sulaymaniyah vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah and Barcelona differ by about 211% in total monthly costs ($773 vs $2,405 including rent). Sulaymaniyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 294% 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: $215 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $173 in Sulaymaniyah versus $939 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $773 in Sulaymaniyah versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sulaymaniyah 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, Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 211% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.