Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Northam

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Northam: $2,381 and $2,498 a month, rent and utilities included.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Northam
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Northam Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Northam

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 Northam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,498 in Northam.

Barcelona $2,381
Northam $2,498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,618 in Northam.

Barcelona $3,406
Northam $3,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,737 in Northam.

Barcelona $4,431
Northam $4,737

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 5% less than in Northam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Northam 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.97

$19.97 A$28.37

-10.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$85.1 A$121

-22.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.22

$10.55 A$15.00

29.76%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.73

$4.48 A$6.36

-31.70%

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

$3.07 €2.74

$2.84 A$4.03

8.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.29 A$3.25

-15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.45

$8.30 A$11.79

-53.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.11

$8.10 A$11.51

-43.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.74 A$2.48

-25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.58 A$3.66

-18.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.98 A$2.82

-7.58%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.13

$4.48 A$6.36

3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.49

$6.37 A$9.05

172.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.28

$9.12 A$12.96

1.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.70

$14.08 A$20.01

40.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.69

$2.73 A$3.88

10.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.25 A$4.62

-37.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.44 A$4.89

-22.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$4.92 A$6.99

-41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.89 A$4.11

-25.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.97 A$2.81

9.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.25 A$3.20

-34.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.73 A$1.04

20.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.18

$41.37 A$58.8

-83.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.98

$3.49 A$4.96

124.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$4.40 A$6.25

-68.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.35

$3.51 A$4.99

-25.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.60

$2.92 A$4.15

-0.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.72

$80.6 A$114

-68.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.67

$3.53 A$5.02

-15.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.46 A$2.07

-1.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.63

$41.14 A$58.5

-19.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.35 A$1.91

37.78%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$26.9K A$38.2K

20.45%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$29.5K A$41.9K

7.61%

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

$183 €163

$196 A$278

-6.68%

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

$13.61 €12.15

$24.09 A$34.24

-43.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.39

$64.3 A$91.4

-48.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.81

$56.5 A$80.2

-3.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.75

$17.81 A$25.31

-7.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €10.02

$17.30 A$24.59

-35.09%

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

$954 €852

$2,328 A$3,307

-59.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$23.2K A$33.0K

-28.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.8

$77.3 A$110

11.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.90

$66.3 A$94.2

-41.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.5

$123 A$174

-15.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$161 A$229

-26.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$1,391 A$1,976

21.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,139

$1,190 A$1,691

7.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$2,173 A$3,088

18.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,716

$1,783 A$2,533

7.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,499

$5,780 A$8,213

25.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,471

$4,889 A$6,947

2.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,987

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.91

-44.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Northam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Northam

$1.2K 47.6% 6.7% $86

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Northam

$314 12.6% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Northam

$323 12.9% 20% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Northam

$284 11.4% 24% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Northam

$192 7.7% 22.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Northam

$91 3.7% 18% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Northam

$103 4.1% 118% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,391 in Northam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Barcelona vs $85 in Northam. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $314, with Northam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇺 Northam

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

07:58 7:58 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

6,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Northam 14,200 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Northam

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 Northam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Northam differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,498 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $3,747 in Northam to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,391 in Northam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $2,328 in Northam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Northam pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Northam are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.