Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sydney, NS

For one person, living is cheaper in Sydney, NS: $1,614 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sydney, NS
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Sydney, NS Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sydney, NS

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,614 in Sydney, NS.

Barcelona $2,381
Sydney, NS $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,535 in Sydney, NS.

Barcelona $3,406
Sydney, NS $2,535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,456 in Sydney, NS.

Barcelona $4,431
Sydney, NS $3,456

Living in Barcelona is roughly 48% more expensive than in Sydney, NS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Sydney, NS 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$11.13 CA$15.74

60.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$62.3 CA$88.0

6.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.16 CA$10.12

91.20%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.87 CA$4.06

6.62%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.33 CA$3.30

31.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.07 CA$2.92

-6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.15 CA$3.04

-39.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.56 CA$3.61

-17.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.41 CA$3.41

-24.07%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.32 CA$4.69

39.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$6.27 CA$8.87

176.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.23 CA$11.63

12.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$12.99 CA$18.36

52.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$7.01 CA$9.91

-57.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.16 CA$1.63

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.38 CA$1.95

107.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.84 CA$1.18

157.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.90 CA$2.68

13.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$6.30 CA$8.90

-76.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$17.78 CA$25.14

-61.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$4.18 CA$5.92

-37.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.08 CA$1.53

169.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$48.48 CA$68.5

-47.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.15 CA$5.87

-27.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.20 CA$1.70

55.00%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$25.7K CA$36.4K

25.62%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$19.1K CA$27.1K

65.56%

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

$183 €163

$86.3 CA$122

111.80%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$36.04 CA$51.0

-62.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$73.3 CA$104

-55.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$49.94 CA$70.6

9.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$3.45 CA$4.88

378.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$7.04 CA$9.96

59.52%

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

$954 €849

$721 CA$1,020

32.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$68.1 CA$96.3

26.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$67.2 CA$95.1

-41.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$99.7 CA$141

4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$105 CA$148

12.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$893 CA$1,262

89.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$724 CA$1,024

76.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,753 CA$2,479

46.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,374 CA$1,943

39.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,527 CA$3,573

-11.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.8

-43.45%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sydney, NS: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Sydney, NS

$724 44.9% 43.3% $552

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Sydney, NS

$258 * 16% 20.7% $67

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Sydney, NS

$163 * 10.1% 39.7% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Sydney, NS

$196 12.1% 14.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Sydney, NS

$153 9.5% 2.1% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Sydney, NS

$64 4% 17% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Sydney, NS

$57 * 3.5% 20.4% $9.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $893 in Sydney, NS. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney, NS pays 13% 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 $62.0 in Sydney, NS for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $258 per month, with Sydney, NS cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Sydney, NS

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

01:57 1:57 AM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

30,960

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Sydney, NS 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sydney, NS

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 Sydney, NS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sydney, NS differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,614 including rent). Sydney, NS is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Sydney, NS. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $893 in Sydney, NS. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $721 in Sydney, NS. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,614 in Sydney, NS versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sydney, NS but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sydney, NS 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 Sydney, NS 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 Sydney, NS gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.