Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,754 a month against $2,542 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,542

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Spain

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,542 per month in Australia vs $1,754 in Spain, rent included.

Australia $2,542
Spain $1,754

A couple spends around $3,717 per month in Australia vs $2,570 in Spain, rent included.

Australia $3,717
Spain $2,570

A family of three spends $4,893 per month in Australia vs $3,386 in Spain, rent included.

Australia $4,893
Spain $3,386

Cost ranges are similar: Australia spans $1,646–$3,152, Spain $928–$2,590. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Australia is about 45% higher than in Spain on average.

Both Australia and Spain are pricier than the global median – Australia by 88%, Spain by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 A$24.69

$16.56 €14.73

3.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 A$121

$56.6 €50.4

48.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 A$16.12

$11.24 €10.00

-0.36%

Cappuccino

$3.92 A$5.64

$2.32 €2.07

68.97%

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

$2.83 A$4.07

$2.57 €2.28

10.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.86 €1.66

23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 A$11.06

$3.34 €2.97

129.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.87

$4.02 €3.58

105.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.53

$1.21 €1.08

45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 A$3.99

$1.54 €1.37

79.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 A$3.16

$1.63 €1.45

34.36%

Eggs

$4.99 A$7.18

$3.30 €2.93

51.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 A$14.31

$14.35 €12.76

-30.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.99

$8.54 €7.60

5.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 A$21.94

$16.09 €14.31

-5.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 A$5.28

$2.45 €2.18

49.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.39

$2.02 €1.79

50.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.07 €1.85

50.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 A$6.56

$2.44 €2.17

86.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.04

$1.78 €1.58

57.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.44

$2.01 €1.78

18.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.39

$1.29 €1.15

82.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.36

$0.75 €0.66

118.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.42 A$55.3

$6.42 €5.71

498.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.82

$5.71 €5.08

141.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 A$6.75

$1.30 €1.15

260.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 A$7.31

$1.99 €1.77

155.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 A$3.91

$1.70 €1.51

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.8 A$138

$33.97 €30.22

182.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.10

$4.58 €4.07

-22.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.48 €1.32

4.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.00 A$57.6

$24.59 €21.87

62.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.74 €1.55

-25.29%

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

$28.2K A$40.5K

$34.9K €31.0K

-19.20%

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

$28.5K A$40.9K

$29.7K €26.4K

-4.12%

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

$198 A$285

$147 €131

34.99%

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

$28.75 A$41.37

$17.90 €15.92

60.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 A$84.4

$31.21 €27.76

87.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$81.6

$44.57 €39.65

27.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.08 A$27.46

$15.01 €13.35

27.12%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 A$21.62

$9.24 €8.22

62.55%

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

$2,154 A$3,099

$529 €470

307.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K A$25.8K

$10.4K €9,212

72.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$84.8 €75.5

-8.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 A$78.8

$36.80 €32.73

48.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$89.7 €79.7

24.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$179

$107 €94.8

16.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 A$2,215

$988 €879

55.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 A$1,758

$791 €703

54.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 A$3,566

$1,580 €1,405

56.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 A$2,778

$1,196 €1,064

61.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,153 A$11.7K

$4,059 €3,610

100.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,053 A$8,711

$2,615 €2,326

131.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,944 A$5,676

$1,923 €1,711

105.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

3.3

79.70%

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

Last update for Australia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 48.1%

Spain

$791 45.1% 35.3% $431

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$370 14.6%

Spain

$272 15.5% 26.6% $99

Eating Out

Australia

$293 11.5%

Spain

$237 13.5% 19.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$286 11.2%

Spain

$196 11.2% 31.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$166 6.5%

Spain

$143 8.2% 13.9% $23

Getting Around

Australia

$118 4.6%

Spain

$53 3% 55.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Spain

$63 3.6% 27.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,366 in Australia vs $908 in Spain. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,716 in Canberra and $1,506 in Madrid.

Average salary: $3,849 in Australia vs $1,972 in Spain. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 50% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 44% more in Australia.

Public transport is 159% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 95% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

07:41 7:41 AM

9 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

47,415,750

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Australia Spain 17,570 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Spain

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

Australia vs Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Spain is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 45% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,366 versus $908 in Spain.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Spain, adding to the overall 45% price gap.

$3,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Spain, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Spain is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.