Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,530 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Forbes despite lower rent and utilities.

121

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,530

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Forbes 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 Forbes and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Forbes versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Forbes $2,530
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,647 in Forbes versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Forbes $3,647
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,764 in Forbes versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Forbes $4,764
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Forbes is roughly 4% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Forbes 87% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.25 A$24.58

$17.66 €15.73

-2.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 A$120

$67.5 €60.1

25.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 A$15.01

$13.61 €12.13

-22.56%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.77

$3.10 €2.76

30.65%

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

$2.90 A$4.13

$3.00 €2.67

-3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$1.93 €1.72

15.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 A$11.04

$3.84 €3.42

101.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 A$10.62

$4.36 €3.88

70.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.25 €1.11

21.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 A$3.87

$2.12 €1.89

27.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$1.97 €1.76

13.71%

Eggs

$5.06 A$7.21

$4.76 €4.24

6.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 A$13.65

$17.07 €15.20

-43.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 A$13.06

$8.96 €7.98

2.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 A$20.62

$20.65 €18.39

-29.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 A$5.26

$3.16 €2.82

16.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.33

$1.97 €1.75

54.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.67

$2.65 €2.36

23.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.71

$2.88 €2.57

63.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.94

$2.06 €1.83

34.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.41

$2.18 €1.94

9.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 A$3.32

$1.53 €1.37

52.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.18

$0.97 €0.86

57.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.64 A$60.8

$6.97 €6.21

511.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 A$20.28

$7.89 €7.03

80.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.78 A$6.81

$1.42 €1.26

236.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 A$7.43

$2.69 €2.39

93.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 A$3.95

$3.31 €2.95

-16.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.2 A$121

$25.61 €22.81

232.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 A$5.08

$3.08 €2.75

15.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.32

$1.48 €1.32

10.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.80 A$58.2

$32.87 €29.28

24.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.87

$1.87 €1.66

-29.41%

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

$29.2K A$41.7K

$33.0K €29.4K

-11.29%

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

$26.1K A$37.2K

$31.9K €28.5K

-18.21%

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

$212 A$302

$183 €163

15.90%

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

$27.83 A$39.66

$14.24 €12.69

95.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.2

$34.56 €30.79

64.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$79.9

$51.4 €45.81

9.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 A$25.60

$16.38 €14.60

9.71%

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 A$20.20

$11.06 €9.86

28.21%

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

$2,134 A$3,040

$944 €841

126.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.5K

$22.3K €19.8K

-10.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.2 A$109

$87.7 €78.1

-13.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 A$77.2

$38.77 €34.54

39.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$152

$105 €93.1

1.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$118 €105

4.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,976

$1,697 €1,512

-18.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 A$1,739

$1,337 €1,191

-8.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 A$3,183

$2,692 €2,398

-17.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 A$2,616

$2,077 €1,850

-11.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,936 A$8,459

$7,155 €6,373

-17.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,932 A$7,028

$5,079 €4,524

-2.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.19

84.95%

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

Last update for Forbes: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forbes

$1.2K 48.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 9.5% $117

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$366 14.5%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 10.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$297 11.7%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 21.9% $65

Eating Out

Forbes

$292 11.6%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 8.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$162 6.4%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 3% $4.9

Getting Around

Forbes

$108 4.3%

Barcelona

$49 2% 54.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$84 3.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 12.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,386 in Forbes and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Forbes vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

17:44 5:44 PM

10 h behind Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

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

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Forbes Barcelona 16,890 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Forbes
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

Forbes vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,530 in Forbes and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,795 in Forbes and $3,664 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,386 in Forbes versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,134 in Forbes versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Forbes. 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, Forbes and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.