Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Oamaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Oamaru: $1,809 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
Learn more

Oamaru Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Oamaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,809 in Oamaru.

Barcelona $2,453
Oamaru $1,809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,753 in Oamaru.

Barcelona $3,509
Oamaru $2,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,698 in Oamaru.

Barcelona $4,564
Oamaru $3,698

Living in Barcelona is roughly 36% more expensive than in Oamaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Oamaru 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$14.46 NZ$25.67

21.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$68.4 NZ$121

-1.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.20 NZ$16.33

47.07%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.35 NZ$5.94

-4.78%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.30 NZ$4.09

26.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.78 NZ$3.15

6.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.64 NZ$11.79

-39.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.97 NZ$12.37

-35.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.73 NZ$3.08

-24.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.32 NZ$2.34

53.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.47 NZ$2.60

25.85%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.53 NZ$9.82

-12.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$7.53 NZ$13.36

122.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.85 NZ$15.72

3.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$13.64 NZ$24.21

43.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.39 NZ$4.25

24.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.10 NZ$3.73

-3.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.65 NZ$4.70

1.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.91 NZ$5.17

-3.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.50 NZ$2.67

39.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.39 NZ$2.47

48.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-29.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.65 NZ$1.16

44.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$24.01 NZ$42.63

-71.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$5.66 NZ$10.05

39.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.42 NZ$6.08

-58.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.44 NZ$7.89

-42.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.05 NZ$3.63

53.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$108 NZ$191

-76.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.58 NZ$4.58

15.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.72 NZ$3.06

-13.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$28.67 NZ$50.9

16.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.62 NZ$2.88

11.11%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.8K NZ$51.2K

15.12%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$23.7K NZ$42.1K

33.54%

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

$180 €162

$157 NZ$279

14.85%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$20.20 NZ$35.86

-31.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$44.97 NZ$79.8

-25.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$39.17 NZ$69.6

31.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.03 NZ$17.81

9.57%

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

$917 €821

$677 NZ$1,202

35.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

-26.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$57.6 NZ$102

51.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$17.36 NZ$30.83

121.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$45.93 NZ$81.6

130.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$51.0 NZ$90.6

134.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,042 NZ$1,850

63.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$799 NZ$1,419

69.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,588 NZ$2,820

63.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,426 NZ$2,531

44.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$4,866 NZ$8,638

42.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$3,783 NZ$6,716

35.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,950 NZ$3,462

13.37%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Oamaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Oamaru

$799 44.2% 41% $556

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Oamaru

$277 15.3% 14% $45

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Oamaru

$247 13.7% 7.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Oamaru

$222 12.3% 2.5% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Oamaru

$77 4.3% 51% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Oamaru

$59 3.3% 19.4% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Oamaru

$127 7% 162% $78

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,042 in Oamaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 13% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $68 in Oamaru. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $277, with Oamaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

10:13 10:13 AM

12 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

13,850

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Oamaru 19,020 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Oamaru

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 Oamaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,809 in Oamaru, so Oamaru is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,042 in Oamaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $677 in Oamaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 76% less than in Oamaru. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Oamaru are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Oamaru wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.