Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mount Isa and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,519 in Mount Isa, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. The total is higher in Mount Isa despite lower rent and utilities.

121

Cost of Living Index in Mount Isa
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Mount Isa Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,519

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,519 in Mount Isa versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Mount Isa $2,519
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,619 in Mount Isa versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Mount Isa $3,619
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,719 in Mount Isa versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Mount Isa $4,719
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Mount Isa is roughly 3% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mount Isa 86% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 A$24.74

$17.66 €15.73

-1.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 A$120

$67.5 €60.1

24.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 A$15.18

$13.61 €12.13

-21.75%

Cappuccino

$3.91 A$5.58

$3.10 €2.76

26.13%

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

$2.80 A$3.99

$3.00 €2.67

-6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.21

$1.93 €1.72

16.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 A$11.15

$3.84 €3.42

103.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.71 A$10.98

$4.36 €3.88

76.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.16

$1.25 €1.11

21.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.78

$2.12 €1.89

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.15

$1.97 €1.76

12.18%

Eggs

$4.82 A$6.87

$4.76 €4.24

1.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.08

$17.07 €15.20

-46.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 A$12.96

$8.96 €7.98

1.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.34

$20.65 €18.39

-27.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.49

$3.16 €2.82

21.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.40

$1.97 €1.75

56.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.61

$2.65 €2.36

22.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 A$6.69

$2.88 €2.57

63.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.88

$2.06 €1.83

32.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.39

$2.18 €1.94

9.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.42

$1.53 €1.37

56.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.20

$0.97 €0.86

59.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.83 A$61.0

$6.97 €6.21

514.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 A$20.30

$7.89 €7.03

80.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.76 A$6.78

$1.42 €1.26

235.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 A$7.54

$2.69 €2.39

96.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 A$3.85

$3.31 €2.95

-18.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 A$120

$25.61 €22.81

228.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.11

$3.08 €2.75

16.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.48 €1.32

11.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.77 A$58.1

$32.87 €29.28

24.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.88

$1.87 €1.66

-29.41%

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

$29.7K A$42.4K

$33.0K €29.4K

-9.81%

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

$25.9K A$36.9K

$31.9K €28.5K

-18.91%

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

$205 A$292

$183 €163

12.11%

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

$27.82 A$39.65

$14.24 €12.69

95.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.3

$34.56 €30.79

65.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 A$79.2

$51.4 €45.81

8.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 A$25.69

$16.38 €14.60

10.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 A$19.90

$11.06 €9.86

26.22%

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

$2,165 A$3,085

$944 €841

129.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K A$28.7K

$22.3K €19.8K

-9.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 A$111

$87.7 €78.1

-11.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 A$78.1

$38.77 €34.54

41.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$156

$105 €93.1

4.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$176

$118 €105

4.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 A$2,018

$1,697 €1,512

-16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 A$1,734

$1,337 €1,191

-8.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,259 A$3,218

$2,692 €2,398

-16.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 A$2,562

$2,077 €1,850

-13.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,881 A$8,380

$7,155 €6,373

-17.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,029 A$7,167

$5,079 €4,524

-0.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,453 A$6,346

$2,241 €1,997

98.68%

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 Mount Isa: 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

Mount Isa

$1.2K 48.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 9.9% $120

Groceries & Markets

Mount Isa

$366 14.5%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 10.4% $38

Eating Out

Mount Isa

$293 11.6%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 8.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mount Isa

$290 11.5%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 20.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Mount Isa

$164 6.5%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 4.5% $7.4

Getting Around

Mount Isa

$107 4.2%

Barcelona

$49 2% 53.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Mount Isa

$83 3.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 11.9% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,416 in Mount Isa and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mount Isa pays 99% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Mount Isa 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

🇦🇺 Mount Isa

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

04:04 4:04 AM

9 h behind Mount Isa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,936

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mount Isa Barcelona 15,410 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mount Isa
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

Mount Isa vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,519 in Mount Isa and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Mount Isa, 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: $1,416 in Mount Isa versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,165 in Mount Isa 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 Mount Isa. 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, Mount Isa 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, Mount Isa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.