Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urbandale, IA and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Urbandale, IA and in Barcelona: $2,310 and $2,381 a month, rent and utilities included.

113

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

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Urbandale, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,310

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,310 in Urbandale, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Urbandale, IA $2,310
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,374 in Urbandale, IA versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Urbandale, IA $3,374
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,437 in Urbandale, IA versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Urbandale, IA $4,437
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Urbandale, IA costs roughly 3% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Urbandale, IA 70% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 $14.86

$17.89 €15.92

-16.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 $50.9

$66.2 €58.9

-23.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$13.69 €12.18

-27.25%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$3.06 €2.72

62.42%

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

$1.21 $1.21

$3.07 €2.73

-60.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.94 €1.73

-48.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.87 €3.44

33.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.61 €4.10

64.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.30 €1.16

-22.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.10 €1.87

54.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.83 €1.62

109.84%

Eggs

$2.05 $2.05

$4.62 €4.11

-55.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.07 $14.07

$17.36 €15.44

-18.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 $9.88

$9.28 €8.25

6.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 $13.88

$19.83 €17.64

-30.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.01 €2.68

6.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.03 €1.81

-20.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.65 €2.36

30.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.87 €2.55

14.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.16 €1.92

43.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.15 €1.91

56.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.47 €1.31

45.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.88 €0.79

138.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$6.93 €6.16

17.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.04 $12.04

$7.83 €6.96

53.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.39 €1.24

30.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.63 €2.34

-28.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.91 €2.59

-29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 $66.0

$25.46 €22.64

159.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.00 €2.66

-18.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.44 €1.28

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.2 $60.2

$33.20 €29.53

81.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.86 €1.65

-47.31%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$32.3K €28.8K

6.86%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$31.7K €28.2K

-19.18%

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

$140 $140

$183 €163

-23.58%

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

$14.79 $14.79

$13.61 €12.11

8.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.01 $25.01

$32.93 €29.29

-24.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.57 $35.57

$54.7 €48.65

-34.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 $20.34

$16.52 €14.70

23.12%

Cinema Ticket

$14.81 $14.81

$11.23 €9.99

31.88%

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

$1,164 $1,164

$954 €849

22.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$16.6K €14.8K

24.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 $61.3

$86.0 €76.5

-28.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.96 $21.96

$39.11 €34.78

-43.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.54 $45.54

$104 €92.2

-56.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 $75.1

$119 €106

-36.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 $933

$1,695 €1,508

-44.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$1,276 €1,135

1.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 $1,237

$2,576 €2,291

-51.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,922 €1,710

12.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,777 $2,777

$7,281 €6,477

-61.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,710 $2,710

$5,010 €4,456

-45.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,637 $3,637

$2,227 €1,981

63.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

3.28

100.00%

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

Last update for Urbandale, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Urbandale, IA

$1.3K 55.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 1.1% $14

Groceries & Markets

Urbandale, IA

$342 14.8%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 5% $17

Eating Out

Urbandale, IA

$258 11.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 4.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urbandale, IA

$179 7.8%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 27.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Urbandale, IA

$92 4%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 70.4% $65

Getting Around

Urbandale, IA

$83 3.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 42.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Urbandale, IA

$65 2.8%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 18.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $933 in Urbandale, IA and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Urbandale, IA pays 63% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51.0 in Urbandale, IA vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $342 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Urbandale, IA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

14:25 2:25 PM

7 h ahead of Urbandale, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,580

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

Urbandale, IA Barcelona 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Urbandale, 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

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

Urbandale, IA and Barcelona differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,310 vs $2,381 including rent). Urbandale, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Urbandale, 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: $933 in Urbandale, IA versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,164 in Urbandale, IA versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,310 in Urbandale, IA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Urbandale, IA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Urbandale, 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, Urbandale, 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 Urbandale, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.