Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mackay and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mackay: $2,209 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,209

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,209 in Mackay versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Mackay $2,209
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,489 in Mackay versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Mackay $3,489
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,769 in Mackay versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Mackay $4,769
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Mackay costs roughly 10% less than in Barcelona.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mackay 62% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 A$24.50

$17.59 €15.76

-2.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 A$108

$67.5 €60.5

12.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.42 A$17.67

$13.53 €12.12

-8.20%

Cappuccino

$4.30 A$6.12

$3.19 €2.86

34.80%

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

$3.39 A$4.82

$2.91 €2.61

16.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.89

$1.89 €1.70

44.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 A$9.91

$4.01 €3.59

73.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 A$9.77

$4.53 €4.06

51.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 A$2.71

$1.31 €1.17

45.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.02 €1.81

24.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.02

$1.85 €1.66

52.43%

Eggs

$6.02 A$8.56

$4.83 €4.33

24.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 A$13.80

$16.74 €15.00

-42.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 A$12.13

$9.12 €8.17

-6.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 A$23.40

$19.64 €17.60

-16.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 A$5.25

$2.98 €2.67

23.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.05

$2.02 €1.81

41.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.27

$2.70 €2.42

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.72 A$9.56

$2.80 €2.51

140.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.59

$2.09 €1.87

21.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.64

$2.07 €1.85

23.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.24 A$4.61

$1.46 €1.31

121.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.43

$0.94 €0.84

230.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.23 A$62.9

$6.87 €6.16

543.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.63 A$12.28

$7.89 €7.07

9.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.24 A$7.46

$1.41 €1.26

271.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 A$8.60

$2.54 €2.27

138.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$3.14 €2.82

-22.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 A$97.9

$25.45 €22.80

170.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.88 A$8.36

$2.99 €2.68

96.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 A$2.93

$1.49 €1.34

38.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.28 A$50.2

$33.37 €29.91

5.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.81

$1.80 €1.61

-29.44%

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

$27.1K A$38.6K

$33.2K €29.7K

-18.28%

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

$35.4K A$50.4K

$31.7K €28.4K

11.81%

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

$235 A$334

$180 €162

30.15%

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

$29.32 A$41.70

$13.84 €12.40

111.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.9 A$112

$33.70 €30.20

134.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 A$74.0

$51.5 €46.16

1.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 A$30.07

$15.96 €14.30

32.46%

Cinema Ticket

$16.46 A$23.40

$10.99 €9.85

49.77%

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

$1,860 A$2,645

$917 €821

102.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,747 A$9,596

$16.5K €14.8K

-59.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 A$101

$87.0 €78.0

-18.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 A$71.1

$38.51 €34.51

29.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$175

$106 €94.8

15.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$150

$120 €107

-12.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 A$1,360

$1,699 €1,523

-43.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 A$1,180

$1,355 €1,214

-38.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 A$2,707

$2,603 €2,332

-26.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,779 A$2,530

$2,062 €1,848

-13.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,115 A$4,430

$6,915 €6,196

-54.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 A$2,508

$5,128 €4,595

-65.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,517 A$7,846

$2,211 €1,981

149.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

3.28

71.65%

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

Last update for Mackay: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mackay

$829 37.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 63.4% $526

Groceries & Markets

Mackay

$400 18.1%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 19.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mackay

$343 15.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 33.5% $115

Eating Out

Mackay

$300 13.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 10.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Mackay

$157 7.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 0.6% $0.9

Getting Around

Mackay

$95 4.3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 48.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Mackay

$85 3.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 13.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Mackay and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mackay pays about 2.5 times 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 Mackay vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mackay

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

09:00 9:00 AM

9 h behind Mackay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,455

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mackay Barcelona 16,190 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mackay
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

Mackay vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,209 in Mackay and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Mackay is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mackay is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $956 in Mackay versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,860 in Mackay versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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