Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Townsville

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,606 in Townsville, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Townsville despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
Learn more

Townsville Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Townsville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,606 in Townsville.

Barcelona $2,443
Townsville $2,606

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,842 in Townsville.

Barcelona $3,519
Townsville $3,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,078 in Townsville.

Barcelona $4,595
Townsville $5,078

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 6% less than in Townsville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Townsville 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$22.82 A$32.52

-22.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$70.4 A$100

-4.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$12.16 A$17.33

11.92%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$3.58 A$5.10

-13.41%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.64 A$3.76

13.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.47 A$3.52

-21.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$8.53 A$12.16

-54.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$7.20 A$10.27

-39.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.77 A$2.53

-29.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.27 A$3.23

-6.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.36 A$1.94

44.85%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$5.23 A$7.45

-8.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$8.16 A$11.63

109.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$9.89 A$14.09

-9.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$13.37 A$19.06

54.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$4.13 A$5.89

-23.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.70 A$3.85

-27.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.58 A$5.10

-25.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$4.29 A$6.11

-32.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.64 A$3.76

-21.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.85 A$4.07

-23.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.30 A$3.28

-33.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$3.26 A$4.64

-70.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$30.58 A$43.58

-77.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

$10.71 A$15.26

-26.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$6.93 A$9.88

-79.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$8.54 A$12.17

-68.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.11 A$3.01

56.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

$55.2 A$78.7

-53.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.62 A$3.74

17.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.04 A$2.91

-27.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

$44.02 A$62.7

-25.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.24 A$1.76

50.81%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$28.1K A$40.1K

17.12%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$27.8K A$39.7K

14.71%

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

$183 €163

$383 A$545

-52.23%

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

$14.24 €12.69

$36.42 A$51.9

-60.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

$66.0 A$94.1

-47.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$55.4 A$78.9

-7.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

$19.73 A$28.11

-16.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$15.23 A$21.71

-27.38%

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

$944 €841

$2,084 A$2,970

-54.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$12.2K A$17.5K

81.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$92.5 A$132

-5.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

$70.1 A$99.9

-44.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$164 A$233

-36.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$131 A$187

-10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

$1,286 A$1,832

31.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$1,025 A$1,460

30.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$2,313 A$3,296

16.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$1,845 A$2,630

12.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

$4,976 A$7,091

43.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$4,112 A$5,860

23.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

$4,066 A$5,794

-44.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

5.68

-43.84%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Townsville: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Townsville

$1K 39.3% 23.3% $312

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Townsville

$389 14.9% 18.5% $61

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Townsville

$340 13% 27.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Townsville

$485 18.6% 110% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Townsville

$206 7.9% 31.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Townsville

$86 3.3% 16.7% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Townsville

$77 2.9% 55.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,286 in Townsville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Townsville pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $70 in Townsville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $389 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇺 Townsville

🕒 Local time

17:44 5:44 PM

02:44 2:44 AM

9 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

173,724

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Townsville 15,870 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Townsville

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 Townsville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,606 in Townsville, so Barcelona is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,286 in Townsville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $2,084 in Townsville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Townsville. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Townsville are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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