Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zakho and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $725 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
Learn more

Zakho Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $725 in Zakho versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Zakho $725
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,158 in Zakho versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Zakho $1,158
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,591 in Zakho versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Zakho $1,591
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Zakho costs roughly 70% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zakho is 47% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 IQD 6,310

$17.59 €15.75

-76.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.97 IQD 55.9K

$67.5 €60.5

-45.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

$13.53 €12.12

-47.23%

Cappuccino

$3.21 IQD 4,856

$3.19 €2.86

0.63%

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

$0.83 IQD 1,256

$2.91 €2.61

-71.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 506

$1.89 €1.70

-82.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 IQD 8,535

$4.01 €3.59

40.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 IQD 5,960

$4.53 €4.06

-13.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 IQD 1,669

$1.31 €1.17

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,023

$2.02 €1.81

-66.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 IQD 2,271

$1.85 €1.66

-18.92%

Eggs

$1.58 IQD 2,382

$4.83 €4.33

-67.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.88 IQD 10.4K

$16.74 €14.99

-58.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.26 IQD 6,440

$9.12 €8.17

-53.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 IQD 19.2K

$19.64 €17.59

-35.39%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,484

$2.98 €2.67

-67.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,414

$2.02 €1.81

-53.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,536

$2.70 €2.42

-62.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 986

$2.80 €2.51

-76.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 920

$2.09 €1.87

-70.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 895

$2.07 €1.85

-71.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 IQD 926

$1.46 €1.31

-58.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 775

$0.94 €0.84

-45.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 IQD 3,300

$6.87 €6.15

-68.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

$7.89 €7.06

36.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,213

$1.41 €1.26

3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 IQD 2,737

$2.54 €2.27

-28.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 IQD 439

$3.14 €2.82

-90.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,546

$2.99 €2.68

-43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 IQD 2,440

$1.49 €1.34

8.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 IQD 8,531

$33.37 €29.89

-83.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 IQD 886

$1.80 €1.61

-67.22%

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

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

$33.2K €29.7K

-50.40%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.8M

$31.7K €28.4K

-46.11%

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

$115 IQD 173.5K

$180 €162

-36.36%

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

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

$13.84 €12.39

-11.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.28 IQD 36.7K

$33.70 €30.18

-27.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 IQD 59.8K

$51.5 €46.13

-23.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

$10.99 €9.85

-11.28%

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

$298 IQD 450.7K

$917 €821

-67.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,742 IQD 4.1M

$16.5K €14.8K

-83.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.56 IQD 40.1K

$87.0 €77.9

-69.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.78 IQD 29.9K

$38.51 €34.49

-48.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.59 IQD 74.9K

$106 €94.8

-53.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.81 IQD 60.1K

$120 €107

-66.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$207 IQD 313.3K

$1,699 €1,522

-87.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 IQD 205.0K

$1,355 €1,214

-89.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 IQD 558.5K

$2,603 €2,331

-85.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 IQD 482.7K

$2,062 €1,847

-84.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$888 IQD 1.3M

$6,915 €6,193

-87.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$551 IQD 833.0K

$5,128 €4,592

-89.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$660 IQD 997.8K

$2,211 €1,980

-70.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

3.28

-22.87%

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

Last update for Zakho: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zakho

$172 23.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 86.9% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zakho

$151 20.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 50.6% $77

Accommodation & Living

Zakho

$136 18.7%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 899% $1.2K

Eating Out

Zakho

$134 18.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 99.6% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Zakho

$61 8.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 159% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Zakho

$59 8.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 24.4% $14

Getting Around

Zakho

$11 * 1.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 344% $38

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 $207 in Zakho and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.3 times 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: $37 in Zakho vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $322 per month, with Zakho cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Zakho

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

19:23 7:23 PM

2 h behind Zakho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,163

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zakho Barcelona 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zakho
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

Zakho vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $725 in Zakho and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Zakho is about 70% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Zakho. 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: $207 in Zakho versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $298 in Zakho versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zakho – a meal for two runs $37 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $725 in Zakho versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zakho but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zakho 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, Zakho and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Zakho wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.