Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,531 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. The total is higher in Cairns despite lower rent and utilities.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,531

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairns and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cairns and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,531 in Cairns versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Cairns $2,531
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,753 in Cairns versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Cairns $3,753
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,975 in Cairns versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Cairns $4,975
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Cairns is roughly 3% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cairns 86% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.49 A$24.87

$17.59 €15.76

-0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.5 A$139

$67.5 €60.5

44.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.68 A$18.03

$13.53 €12.12

-6.28%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.30

$3.19 €2.86

38.87%

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

$3.22 A$4.58

$2.91 €2.61

10.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.89

$1.89 €1.70

44.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.21 A$10.26

$4.01 €3.59

79.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 A$12.23

$4.53 €4.06

89.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 A$2.76

$1.31 €1.17

48.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 A$3.89

$2.02 €1.81

35.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$1.85 €1.66

37.84%

Eggs

$5.13 A$7.29

$4.83 €4.33

6.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 A$13.51

$16.74 €15.00

-43.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.77 A$19.59

$9.12 €8.17

50.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 A$21.68

$19.64 €17.60

-22.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 A$5.81

$2.98 €2.67

37.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.05

$2.02 €1.81

41.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.06

$2.70 €2.42

31.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 A$8.43

$2.80 €2.51

111.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 A$3.72

$2.09 €1.87

25.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.59

$2.07 €1.85

22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 A$3.89

$1.46 €1.31

86.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 A$3.74

$0.94 €0.84

179.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.75 A$65.1

$6.87 €6.16

565.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 A$19.82

$7.89 €7.07

76.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 A$4.95

$1.41 €1.26

146.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.37 A$7.64

$2.54 €2.27

111.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 A$3.46

$3.14 €2.82

-22.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.73 A$22.38

$25.45 €22.80

-38.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 A$3.60

$2.99 €2.68

-15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 A$2.76

$1.49 €1.34

30.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.49 A$60.4

$33.37 €29.91

27.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.76

$1.80 €1.61

-31.11%

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

$29.8K A$42.4K

$33.2K €29.7K

-10.16%

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

$31.3K A$44.5K

$31.7K €28.4K

-1.27%

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

$161 A$230

$180 €162

-10.55%

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

$34.86 A$49.58

$13.84 €12.40

151.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 A$94.2

$33.70 €30.20

96.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.42 A$63.2

$51.5 €46.16

-13.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.62 A$39.29

$15.96 €14.30

73.06%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 A$19.55

$10.99 €9.85

25.11%

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

$2,058 A$2,927

$917 €821

124.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K A$20.3K

$16.5K €14.8K

-13.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.4 A$127

$87.0 €78.0

2.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.3 A$104

$38.51 €34.51

90.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 A$179

$106 €94.8

19.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$190

$120 €107

11.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 A$2,121

$1,699 €1,523

-12.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 A$1,774

$1,355 €1,214

-7.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,408 A$3,424

$2,603 €2,332

-7.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,960 A$2,788

$2,062 €1,848

-4.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,463 A$9,192

$6,915 €6,196

-6.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,002 A$7,114

$5,128 €4,595

-2.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,338 A$6,170

$2,211 €1,981

96.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

3.28

92.68%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairns

$1.2K 49.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 8.7% $108

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$413 16.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 22.1% $92

Eating Out

Cairns

$308 12.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 13% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$262 10.4%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 13.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$190 7.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 16.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$72 2.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 2.2% $1.6

Getting Around

Cairns

$38 1.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 28.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,491 in Cairns and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cairns pays 96% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $97 in Cairns vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

9 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairns Barcelona 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairns
Barcelona

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

Cairns vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,531 in Cairns and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 96% higher in Cairns, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,491 in Cairns versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,058 in Cairns versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Cairns. 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, Cairns and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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