Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich, Australia and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ipswich: $2,055 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Ipswich

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,055

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Ipswich versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Ipswich $2,055
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,914 in Ipswich versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Ipswich $2,914
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,773 in Ipswich versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Ipswich $3,773
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Ipswich costs roughly 16% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ipswich 51% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.17 A$45.72

$17.59 €15.75

82.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 A$108

$67.5 €60.5

12.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 A$14.29

$13.53 €12.12

-25.72%

Cappuccino

$4.60 A$6.53

$3.19 €2.86

44.20%

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

$3.76 A$5.35

$2.91 €2.61

29.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.45

$1.89 €1.70

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.24 A$13.13

$4.01 €3.59

130.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 A$10.90

$4.53 €4.06

69.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 A$3.54

$1.31 €1.17

90.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.02 €1.81

19.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.21

$1.85 €1.66

22.16%

Eggs

$7.19 A$10.22

$4.83 €4.33

48.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 A$10.23

$16.74 €14.99

-57.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 A$12.29

$9.12 €8.17

-5.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 A$19.57

$19.64 €17.59

-29.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.74

$2.98 €2.67

11.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 A$3.84

$2.02 €1.81

33.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.90

$2.70 €2.42

1.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 A$5.38

$2.80 €2.51

35.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 A$2.84

$2.09 €1.87

-4.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.93

$2.07 €1.85

-0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 A$3.46

$1.46 €1.31

67.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 A$2.42

$0.94 €0.84

80.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.66 A$63.5

$6.87 €6.15

550.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.65 A$30.78

$7.89 €7.06

174.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.39 A$9.08

$1.41 €1.26

353.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 A$10.18

$2.54 €2.27

181.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$3.14 €2.82

-89.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 A$3.11

$2.99 €2.68

-26.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.34

$1.49 €1.34

10.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.81 A$50.9

$33.37 €29.89

7.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 A$2.02

$1.80 €1.61

-21.11%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

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

$31.7K €28.4K

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

$91.8 A$130

$180 €162

-49.14%

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

$31.51 A$44.79

$13.84 €12.39

127.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.6 A$89.0

$33.70 €30.18

85.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.21 A$24.46

$51.5 €46.13

-66.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

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

$917 €821

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 A$1,485

$1,699 €1,522

-38.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 A$1,457

$1,355 €1,214

-24.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 A$1,994

$2,603 €2,331

-46.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 A$1,963

$2,062 €1,847

-33.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,151 A$5,900

$2,211 €1,980

87.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.98

3.28

82.32%

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

Last update for Ipswich: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipswich

–

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

–

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Eating Out

Ipswich

–

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

–

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

–

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

–

Barcelona

$74 3%

Getting Around

Ipswich

–

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,045 in Ipswich and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ipswich pays 88% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $76 in Ipswich vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ipswich

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

09:45 9:45 AM

9 h behind Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,208

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

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

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ipswich Barcelona 16,940 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ipswich
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

Ipswich vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,055 in Ipswich and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Ipswich is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 88% higher in Ipswich, 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: $1,045 in Ipswich versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $76 in Ipswich. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,055 per month in Ipswich versus $2,453 in Barcelona – Ipswich is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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