Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlton: $2,253 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Carlton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,253 in Carlton.

Barcelona $2,381
Carlton $2,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,284 in Carlton.

Barcelona $3,406
Carlton $3,284

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,315 in Carlton.

Barcelona $4,431
Carlton $4,315

Living in Barcelona is roughly 6% more expensive than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Carlton 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$17.35 A$24.96

3.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$69.5 A$100.0

-4.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.19 A$14.66

34.35%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.03 A$4.36

0.99%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.63 A$3.78

16.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.11 A$3.04

-8.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.54 A$9.41

-40.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.57 A$9.46

-29.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.34 A$1.92

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.07 A$2.98

1.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.34 A$1.92

36.57%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.27 A$4.70

41.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.29 A$14.81

68.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.98 A$14.37

-7.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.85 A$21.37

33.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.28 A$4.72

-8.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.84 A$4.09

-28.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.21 A$4.62

-17.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.51 A$6.49

-36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.47 A$3.55

-12.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.14 A$3.08

0.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.17 A$3.13

-32.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.90 A$1.30

-2.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$25.29 A$36.39

-72.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$10.37 A$14.92

-24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$5.69 A$8.18

-75.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$5.21 A$7.50

-49.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.05 A$4.39

-4.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$82.2 A$118

-69.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.53 A$5.07

-15.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.23 A$1.77

17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$26.49 A$38.12

25.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.30 A$1.88

43.08%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$18.1K A$26.1K

78.61%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$14.0K A$20.1K

126.99%

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

$183 €163

$92.2 A$133

98.18%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$27.31 A$39.30

-50.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$47.00 A$67.6

-29.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$31.64 A$45.53

72.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$17.38 A$25.01

-4.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$13.20 A$19.00

-14.92%

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

$954 €849

$2,076 A$2,987

-54.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$12.4K A$17.8K

34.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$79.3 A$114

8.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$49.34 A$71.0

-20.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$69.7 A$100

48.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$134 A$193

-11.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,395 A$2,007

21.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,167 A$1,679

9.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,121 A$3,052

21.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,784 A$2,568

7.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$5,783 A$8,322

25.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$4,967 A$7,148

0.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$5,754 A$8,280

-61.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.9

-44.41%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Carlton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Carlton

$1.2K 51.8% 8.6% $109

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Carlton

$338 15% 3.8% $12

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Carlton

$271 12% 0.4% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Carlton

$167 7.4% 27.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Carlton

$150 6.6% 4.3% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Carlton

$58 2.6% 24.8% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Carlton

$104 4.6% 120% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,395 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 158% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $69.0 in Carlton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $338 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

02:29 2:29 AM

9 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

19,001

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Carlton 16,830 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Carlton

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

Barcelona vs Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Carlton differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,253 including rent). Carlton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 158% lower in Carlton. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,395 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $2,076 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,253 in Carlton versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Carlton but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Carlton 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, Barcelona and Carlton 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 Carlton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.