Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Perth Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Perth

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,320 in Barcelona versus $1,785 in Perth.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,426 in Barcelona versus $2,701 in Perth.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,532 in Barcelona versus $3,617 in Perth.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 30% more expensive than in Perth, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 74% above, Perth 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.46

$20.46 £15.23

-13.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 €61.0

$81.1 £60.4

-14.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.16 €12.40

$10.06 £7.49

40.76%

Cappuccino

$2.80 €2.45

$4.37 £3.26

-35.93%

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

$2.81 €2.46

$2.55 £1.90

10.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.81

$1.66 £1.24

24.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.03

$5.35 £3.98

-14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 €4.11

$4.68 £3.48

0.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.08

$1.49 £1.11

-17.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.78

$1.38 £1.03

47.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.73

$1.87 £1.40

5.88%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.05

$2.39 £1.78

46.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 €16.05

$8.09 £6.02

126.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 €8.61

$8.75 £6.52

12.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 €16.75

$12.95 £9.64

47.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.39

$3.78 £2.81

-27.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.09

$1.71 £1.27

39.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.82

$2.54 £1.89

-18.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.41

$3.81 £2.84

-27.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.72

$1.70 £1.27

15.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.57

$1.67 £1.24

7.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.29

$1.03 £0.76

43.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.80

$1.55 £1.15

-41.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 €6.25

$18.65 £13.88

-61.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.90

$10.84 £8.07

-27.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.21

$2.62 £1.95

-47.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.09

$2.99 £2.22

-20.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.01 €2.64

$3.09 £2.30

-2.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.35 €25.71

$87.2 £64.9

-66.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 €3.82

$6.72 £5.01

-35.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.62 £1.21

31.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.60 €25.93

$22.80 £16.97

29.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.60

$1.97 £1.47

-7.61%

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

$37.9K €33.2K

$35.0K £26.0K

8.35%

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

$32.4K €28.4K

$43.9K £32.7K

-26.28%

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

$189 €166

$275 £205

-31.30%

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

$22.29 €19.52

$13.51 £10.06

64.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.16 €32.55

$36.21 £26.96

2.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €50.8

$34.45 £25.65

68.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.66 €18.09

Cinema Ticket

$10.87 €9.52

$10.99 £8.18

-1.09%

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

$706 €618

$1,238 £922

-42.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K €13.0K

$18.7K £13.9K

-20.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.4 €78.3

$85.0 £63.3

5.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.60 €32.06

$45.05 £33.54

-18.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €91.1

$68.3 £50.9

52.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €105

$83.8 £62.4

42.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 €1,383

$724 £539

118.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 €1,084

$583 £434

112.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 €2,375

$1,222 £909

122.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 €1,786

$1,012 £753

101.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,527 €6,592

$5,238 £3,900

43.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,239 €4,588

$2,721 £2,026

92.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,364 €2,070

$2,477 £1,844

-4.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.7

-40.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: July 13, 2026

Last update for Perth: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,579 in Barcelona and $724 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Barcelona vs $81.0 in Perth. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $283, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

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

Barcelona and Perth differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,320 vs $1,785 including rent). Perth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,579 in Barcelona versus $724 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Barcelona versus $1,238 in Perth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,785 in Perth versus $2,320 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.

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 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.

Expats usually find Perth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.