Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Perth: $2,216 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Perth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,216
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Perth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,216 in Perth.

  • Barcelona $2,381
  • Perth $2,216

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,240 in Perth.

  • Barcelona $3,406
  • Perth $3,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,263 in Perth.

  • Barcelona $4,431
  • Perth $4,263

Living in Barcelona is roughly 7% more expensive than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Perth 64% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Perth
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.89 €15.92
$23.86 £17.90
-25.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €58.9
$79.7 £59.8
-16.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.69 €12.18
$16.07 £12.05
-14.81%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$4.12 £3.09
-25.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.73
$2.40 £1.80
27.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.73
$1.69 £1.26
14.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.44
$6.50 £4.88
-40.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €4.10
$5.64 £4.23
-18.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Perth
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.40 £1.05
-7.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.37 £1.03
53.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 €1.62
$1.86 £1.40
-1.61%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.11
$2.43 £1.82
90.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.36 €15.44
$8.20 £6.15
111.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 €8.25
$8.65 £6.49
7.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 €17.64
$13.57 £10.18
46.13%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.68
$2.20 £1.65
36.82%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$1.62 £1.21
25.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$2.61 £1.95
1.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 €2.55
$3.23 £2.42
-11.15%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.50 £1.12
44.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$1.71 £1.28
25.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.06 £0.79
38.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$1.54 £1.16
-42.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.93 €6.16
$20.81 £15.61
-66.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 €6.96
$11.27 £8.45
-30.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$3.00 £2.25
-53.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 €2.34
$2.87 £2.15
-8.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Perth
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.59
$3.61 £2.71
-19.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.46 €22.64
$97.8 £73.4
-73.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 €2.66
$5.21 £3.91
-42.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$2.64 £1.98
-45.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.20 €29.53
$24.06 £18.05
37.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.92 £1.44
-3.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.8K
$35.2K £26.4K
-8.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.2K
$40.7K £30.6K
-22.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Perth
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$614 £460
-70.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 €12.11
$13.28 £9.96
2.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.29
$36.40 £27.31
-9.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Perth
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.7 €48.65
$46.47 £34.86
17.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.52 €14.70
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €9.99
$14.41 £10.81
-22.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Perth
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$954 €849
$1,234 £926
-22.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.8K
$25.2K £18.9K
-34.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Perth
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.0 €76.5
$91.5 £68.6
-5.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.11 €34.78
$45.09 £33.82
-13.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.2
$66.8 £50.1
55.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$142 £107
-16.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Perth
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,508
$691 £518
145.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 €1,135
$568 £426
124.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,291
$1,207 £906
113.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,922 €1,710
$1,092 £819
75.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,281 €6,477
$5,077 £3,809
43.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,010 €4,456
$3,805 £2,854
31.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Perth
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,227 €1,981
$2,454 £1,841
-9.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
5.07
-35.31%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Perth: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Perth
$568 55.5% $708
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
Perth
$275 15.5% $51
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Perth
$349 29.3% $79
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
Perth
$663 189% $434
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$156
Perth
$156 0.5% $0.8
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$77
Perth
$75 2.4% $1.9
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Perth
$131 176% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $691 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 10% 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 $80.0 in Perth. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $275, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇬🇧 Perth
🕒 Local time
07:06 7:06 AM
06:06 6:06 AM
1 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
46,660
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Perth 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Perth

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 Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Perth?
Barcelona and Perth differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,216 including rent). Perth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Perth. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Perth?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $691 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Perth?
Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,234 in Perth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $2,216 in Perth versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Perth but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Perth the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Perth?
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.
Is Barcelona or Perth safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Perth are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Perth?
Expats usually find Perth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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