Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Barcelona

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Cairns is 12.6% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 1.4% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Cairns is 18.3% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 0.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Cairns
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.67 A$17.88
$17.41 โ‚ฌ15.03
-32.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.9 A$125
$68.7 โ‚ฌ59.3
19.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.66 A$16.33
$13.71 โ‚ฌ11.84
-22.25%
Cappuccino
$3.92 A$6.01
$2.78 โ‚ฌ2.4
41.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 A$4.19
$2.8 โ‚ฌ2.42
-2.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 A$3.46
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
14.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.58 A$10.09
$4.43 โ‚ฌ3.83
48.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.07 A$10.83
$4.53 โ‚ฌ3.91
56.07%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cairns
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.7 A$2.61
$1.24 โ‚ฌ1.07
37.10%
White Bread (500g)
$2.51 A$3.85
$2.03 โ‚ฌ1.75
23.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 A$4.15
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
36.87%
Eggs
$3.93 A$6.02
$3.46 โ‚ฌ2.99
13.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.87 A$12.06
$18.32 โ‚ฌ15.82
-57.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 A$14.08
$9.82 โ‚ฌ8.47
-6.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.84 A$19.67
$19.24 โ‚ฌ16.61
-33.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 A$4.58
$2.61 โ‚ฌ2.25
14.56%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 A$3.53
$2.34 โ‚ฌ2.02
-1.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.66 A$4.07
$2.11 โ‚ฌ1.82
26.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.39 A$11.32
$2.77 โ‚ฌ2.39
166.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.5
$2.04 โ‚ฌ1.76
11.76%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 A$3.42
$1.77 โ‚ฌ1.53
25.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 A$3.47
$1.5 โ‚ฌ1.3
51.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.88 A$4.42
$0.85 โ‚ฌ0.73
238.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.83 A$45.69
$7 โ‚ฌ6.04
326.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.03 A$16.89
$7.13 โ‚ฌ6.16
54.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.39 A$5.2
$1.43 โ‚ฌ1.24
137.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 A$5.39
$2.29 โ‚ฌ1.98
53.71%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Cairns
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.22 A$4.94
$3.02 โ‚ฌ2.6
6.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.4 A$100
$28.97 โ‚ฌ25.01
125.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.44 A$9.86
$4.59 โ‚ฌ3.96
40.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.13 A$4.8
$2.02 โ‚ฌ1.74
54.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.86 A$51.9
$29.56 โ‚ฌ25.53
14.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 A$1.77
$1.81 โ‚ฌ1.56
-36.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.7K A$34.8K
$38.4K โ‚ฌ33.1K
-40.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.2K A$29.4K
$32.4K โ‚ฌ28K
-40.79%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairns
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$153 A$234
$190 โ‚ฌ164
-19.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.09 A$56.8
$22.18 โ‚ฌ19.15
67.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59 A$90.3
$36.37 โ‚ฌ31.4
62.14%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cairns
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.89 A$59.6
$57.4 โ‚ฌ49.55
-32.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.92 A$24.39
$20.95 โ‚ฌ18.09
-24.01%
Cinema Ticket
$12.98 A$19.88
$10.8 โ‚ฌ9.33
20.19%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Cairns
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,628 A$2,494
$732 โ‚ฌ632
122.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$18.5K
$15.1K โ‚ฌ13.1K
-19.97%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cairns
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83 A$127
$86.8 โ‚ฌ74.9
-4.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.2 A$101
$36.78 โ‚ฌ31.76
80.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.2 A$150
$102 โ‚ฌ88.2
-3.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 A$206
$117 โ‚ฌ101
15.12%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Cairns
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,193 A$1,828
$1,581 โ‚ฌ1,365
-24.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,110 A$1,701
$1,230 โ‚ฌ1,062
-9.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,042 A$3,128
$2,707 โ‚ฌ2,337
-24.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,858 A$2,847
$2,028 โ‚ฌ1,751
-8.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,035 A$9,246
$6,602 โ‚ฌ5,700
-8.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,795 A$7,346
$5,045 โ‚ฌ4,356
-4.97%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Cairns
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,813 A$4,310
$2,198 โ‚ฌ1,898
27.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.96
3.39
105.31%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cairns: October 27, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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