Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lake Macquarie Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lake Macquarie

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Barcelona is 2.1% more expensive than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 16.2% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Barcelona is 5.5% cheaper than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 0.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Barcelona
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.41 โ‚ฌ15.03
$12.91 A$19.78
34.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.7 โ‚ฌ59.3
$77.1 A$118
-10.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.71 โ‚ฌ11.84
$9.66 A$14.79
41.93%
Cappuccino
$2.78 โ‚ฌ2.4
$3.34 A$5.12
-16.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.8 โ‚ฌ2.42
$2.38 A$3.65
17.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
$2 A$3.07
-1.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 โ‚ฌ3.83
$6.35 A$9.72
-30.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 โ‚ฌ3.91
$6.96 A$10.66
-34.91%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 โ‚ฌ1.07
$1.37 A$2.1
-9.49%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 โ‚ฌ1.75
$1.44 A$2.2
40.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
$1.19 A$1.82
66.39%
Eggs
$3.46 โ‚ฌ2.99
$3.14 A$4.81
10.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.32 โ‚ฌ15.82
$7.51 A$11.5
143.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.82 โ‚ฌ8.47
$6.07 A$9.3
61.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.24 โ‚ฌ16.61
$11.78 A$18.05
63.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 โ‚ฌ2.25
$3.11 A$4.76
-16.08%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 โ‚ฌ2.02
$2.7 A$4.13
-13.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 โ‚ฌ1.82
$3.16 A$4.84
-33.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 โ‚ฌ2.39
$4.33 A$6.64
-36.03%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 โ‚ฌ1.76
$1.95 A$2.98
4.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 โ‚ฌ1.53
$1.74 A$2.66
1.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.5 โ‚ฌ1.3
$1.35 A$2.07
11.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 โ‚ฌ0.73
$1.13 A$1.73
-24.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7 โ‚ฌ6.04
$27.52 A$42.16
-74.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.13 โ‚ฌ6.16
$7.24 A$11.09
-1.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 โ‚ฌ1.24
$2.62 A$4.02
-45.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 โ‚ฌ1.98
$2.15 A$3.3
6.51%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Barcelona
Lake Macquarie
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 โ‚ฌ2.6
$2.07 A$3.17
45.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.97 โ‚ฌ25.01
$88.9 A$136
-67.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.59 โ‚ฌ3.96
$1.87 A$2.86
145.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 โ‚ฌ1.74
$1.55 A$2.37
30.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.56 โ‚ฌ25.53
$46.5 A$71.2
-36.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 โ‚ฌ1.56
$1.19 A$1.82
52.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K โ‚ฌ33.1K
$24.9K A$38.2K
53.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K โ‚ฌ28K
$20.2K A$30.9K
60.65%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 โ‚ฌ164
$204 A$313
-7.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.18 โ‚ฌ19.15
$10.26 A$15.72
116.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.37 โ‚ฌ31.4
$42.08 A$64.5
-13.57%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 โ‚ฌ49.55
$49.44 A$75.7
16.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.95 โ‚ฌ18.09
$15.88 A$24.33
31.93%
Cinema Ticket
$10.8 โ‚ฌ9.33
$9.2 A$14.1
17.39%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$732 โ‚ฌ632
$1,446 A$2,215
-49.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.1K โ‚ฌ13.1K
$9,951 A$15.2K
51.98%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.8 โ‚ฌ74.9
$73.4 A$112
18.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.78 โ‚ฌ31.76
$33.88 A$51.9
8.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 โ‚ฌ88.2
$76.6 A$117
33.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 โ‚ฌ101
$132 A$202
-11.44%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Lake Macquarie
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,581 โ‚ฌ1,365
$1,240 A$1,900
27.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 โ‚ฌ1,062
$976 A$1,495
26.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,707 โ‚ฌ2,337
$2,007 A$3,074
34.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 โ‚ฌ1,751
$2,055 A$3,148
-1.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,602 โ‚ฌ5,700
$5,582 A$8,552
18.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,045 โ‚ฌ4,356
$4,951 A$7,584
1.92%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,198 โ‚ฌ1,898
$4,783 A$7,327
-54.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.39
4.35
-22.07%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Last update for Lake Macquarie: October 29, 2025

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