Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rockhampton

For one person, living is cheaper in Rockhampton: $1,985 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Rockhampton
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Rockhampton Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Rockhampton

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rockhampton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,985 in Rockhampton.

Barcelona $2,399
Rockhampton $1,985

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,201 in Rockhampton.

Barcelona $3,410
Rockhampton $3,201

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,418 in Rockhampton.

Barcelona $4,421
Rockhampton $4,418

Living in Barcelona is roughly 21% more expensive than in Rockhampton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Rockhampton 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$20.54 A$29.56

-12.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$84.7 A$122

-19.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$9.68 A$13.92

37.19%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$5.00 A$7.19

-35.00%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.37 A$3.41

27.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.70 A$3.89

-30.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$7.82 A$11.26

-50.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$6.22 A$8.95

-27.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.24 A$3.23

-42.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.20 A$3.17

-7.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.08 A$2.99

-17.31%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.65 A$5.26

30.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$6.65 A$9.57

152.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$10.88 A$15.65

-17.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$15.71 A$22.60

26.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.68 A$3.85

11.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.13 A$3.07

-4.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.86 A$2.67

46.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$4.69 A$6.75

-42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.05 A$2.94

2.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.26 A$3.26

-7.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.87 A$2.69

-22.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$2.14 A$3.08

-58.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$37.22 A$53.6

-81.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$15.19 A$21.86

-48.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.32 A$4.78

-56.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$6.00 A$8.63

-57.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.66 A$2.38

80.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$64.7 A$93.1

-61.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.37 A$4.85

-7.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.84 A$2.64

-21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$39.56 A$56.9

-15.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.25 A$1.79

43.20%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$29.3K A$42.1K

18.37%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$22.8K A$32.8K

32.01%

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

$178 €158

$206 A$296

-13.49%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$23.90 A$34.39

-44.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$66.9 A$96.3

-47.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$40.23 A$57.9

32.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$13.72 A$19.74

16.69%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$15.72 A$22.62

-29.64%

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

$957 €851

$1,739 A$2,502

-44.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$6,479 A$9,323

155.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$123 A$177

-28.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$60.2 A$86.7

-34.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$142 A$204

-27.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$61.5 A$88.5

97.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$817 A$1,175

102.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$685 A$985

90.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,631 A$2,347

56.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,514 A$2,179

26.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$3,321 A$4,779

-31.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.27

-47.69%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rockhampton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Rockhampton

$685 34.5% 47.4% $617

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Rockhampton

$349 17.6% 8.9% $29

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Rockhampton

$325 16.4% 20.4% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Rockhampton

$296 14.9% 31.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Rockhampton

$174 8.8% 9.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Rockhampton

$72 3.6% 4.9% $3.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Rockhampton

$84 4.2% 76.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $817 in Rockhampton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockhampton pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $85.0 in Rockhampton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $349 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇺 Rockhampton

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

14:47 2:47 PM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

63,151

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Rockhampton 16,460 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Rockhampton

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 Rockhampton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Rockhampton differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,985 including rent). Rockhampton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Rockhampton. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $817 in Rockhampton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,739 in Rockhampton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,985 in Rockhampton versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rockhampton but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Rockhampton 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 Rockhampton 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 Rockhampton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.