Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,640 in Adelaide, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,640 in Adelaide versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Adelaide $2,640
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Adelaide versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Adelaide $3,759
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,878 in Adelaide versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Adelaide $4,878
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Adelaide is roughly 11% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Adelaide 95% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 A$24.61

$17.89 €15.92

-4.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 A$116

$66.2 €58.9

21.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.64 A$16.75

$13.69 €12.18

-14.97%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.83

$3.06 €2.72

32.35%

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

$2.78 A$4.00

$3.07 €2.73

-9.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 A$3.68

$1.94 €1.73

31.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.20

$3.87 €3.44

101.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 A$11.89

$4.61 €4.10

79.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.30 €1.16

52.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.10 €1.87

32.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.23

$1.83 €1.62

22.40%

Eggs

$5.69 A$8.19

$4.62 €4.11

23.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$17.36 €15.44

-32.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 A$13.24

$9.28 €8.25

-0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 A$27.29

$19.83 €17.64

-4.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.67

$3.01 €2.68

30.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.03 €1.81

49.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 A$5.22

$2.65 €2.36

36.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 A$7.28

$2.87 €2.55

76.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$2.16 €1.92

48.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.56

$2.15 €1.91

14.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.58

$1.47 €1.31

69.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$0.88 €0.79

162.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.26 A$65.1

$6.93 €6.16

553.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$20.05

$7.83 €6.96

77.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.52 A$7.94

$1.39 €1.24

297.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 A$8.51

$2.63 €2.34

124.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 A$4.61

$2.91 €2.59

9.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 A$120

$25.46 €22.64

228.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$3.00 €2.66

17.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.44 €1.28

37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.11 A$44.77

$33.20 €29.53

-6.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 A$2.03

$1.86 €1.65

-24.19%

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

$29.3K A$42.2K

$32.3K €28.8K

-9.32%

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

$25.7K A$36.9K

$31.7K €28.2K

-19.01%

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

$192 A$276

$183 €163

5.02%

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

$25.71 A$36.99

$13.61 €12.11

88.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 A$81.6

$32.93 €29.29

72.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 A$90.6

$54.7 €48.65

15.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.06 A$20.24

$16.52 €14.70

-14.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.14 A$24.67

$11.23 €9.99

52.63%

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

$2,072 A$2,982

$954 €849

117.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K A$20.5K

$16.6K €14.8K

-14.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$101

$86.0 €76.5

-18.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.9

$39.11 €34.78

40.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$104 €92.2

10.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$195

$119 €106

13.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,466

$1,695 €1,508

1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,839

$1,276 €1,135

0.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,431 A$3,498

$2,576 €2,291

-5.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,637

$1,922 €1,710

-4.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K A$14.5K

$7,281 €6,477

38.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,880 A$9,901

$5,010 €4,456

37.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,830 A$5,511

$2,227 €1,981

71.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

3.28

80.49%

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

Last update for Adelaide: 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

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 0.2% $1.9

Groceries & Markets

Adelaide

$415 15.7%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 21.6% $90

Eating Out

Adelaide

$297 11.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 9.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adelaide

$274 10.4%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 16.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Adelaide

$169 6.4%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 7.3% $12

Getting Around

Adelaide

$110 4.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 56.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Adelaide

$97 3.7%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 20.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Adelaide and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Adelaide pays 72% 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: $81.0 in Adelaide vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $415 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

07:42 7:42 AM

8 h 30 min behind Adelaide

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,011

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Adelaide Barcelona 16,180 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Adelaide
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

Adelaide vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Barcelona differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,640 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 72% higher in Adelaide, 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: $1,713 in Adelaide versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,072 in Adelaide versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Adelaide. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Adelaide 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.