Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oamaru and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Oamaru: $1,809 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,809

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,809 in Oamaru versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Oamaru $1,809
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,753 in Oamaru versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Oamaru $2,753
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,698 in Oamaru versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Oamaru $3,698
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Oamaru costs roughly 26% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oamaru 33% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 NZ$25.67

$17.59 €15.75

-17.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$67.5 €60.5

1.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 NZ$16.33

$13.53 €12.12

-32.00%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.94

$3.19 €2.86

5.02%

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

$2.30 NZ$4.09

$2.91 €2.61

-20.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$1.89 €1.70

-5.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 NZ$11.79

$4.01 €3.59

65.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 NZ$12.37

$4.53 €4.06

53.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.31 €1.17

32.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 NZ$2.34

$2.02 €1.81

-34.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 NZ$2.60

$1.85 €1.66

-20.54%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$4.83 €4.33

14.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 NZ$13.36

$16.74 €14.99

-55.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 NZ$15.72

$9.12 €8.17

-2.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 NZ$24.21

$19.64 €17.59

-30.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.25

$2.98 €2.67

-19.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$2.02 €1.81

3.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.70

$2.70 €2.42

-1.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.17

$2.80 €2.51

3.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.67

$2.09 €1.87

-28.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 NZ$2.47

$2.07 €1.85

-32.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.46 €1.31

41.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 NZ$1.16

$0.94 €0.84

-30.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.01 NZ$42.63

$6.87 €6.15

249.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.66 NZ$10.05

$7.89 €7.06

-28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 NZ$6.08

$1.41 €1.26

142.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.89

$2.54 €2.27

74.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 NZ$3.63

$3.14 €2.82

-34.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 NZ$191

$25.45 €22.79

322.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NZ$4.58

$2.99 €2.68

-13.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$1.49 €1.34

15.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.67 NZ$50.9

$33.37 €29.89

-14.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.88

$1.80 €1.61

-10.00%

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

$28.8K NZ$51.2K

$33.2K €29.7K

-13.13%

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

$23.7K NZ$42.1K

$31.7K €28.4K

-25.12%

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

$157 NZ$279

$180 €162

-12.93%

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

$20.20 NZ$35.86

$13.84 €12.39

45.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.97 NZ$79.8

$33.70 €30.18

33.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.17 NZ$69.6

$51.5 €46.13

-23.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$10.03 NZ$17.81

$10.99 €9.85

-8.74%

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

$677 NZ$1,202

$917 €821

-26.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$16.5K €14.8K

35.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 NZ$102

$87.0 €77.9

-33.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.36 NZ$30.83

$38.51 €34.49

-54.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.93 NZ$81.6

$106 €94.8

-56.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.0 NZ$90.6

$120 €107

-57.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NZ$1,850

$1,699 €1,522

-38.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 NZ$1,419

$1,355 €1,214

-41.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 NZ$2,820

$2,603 €2,331

-38.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 NZ$2,531

$2,062 €1,847

-30.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,866 NZ$8,638

$6,915 €6,193

-29.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,783 NZ$6,716

$5,128 €4,592

-26.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,950 NZ$3,462

$2,211 €1,980

-11.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

3.28

80.18%

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

Last update for Oamaru: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oamaru

$799 44.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 69.5% $556

Groceries & Markets

Oamaru

$277 15.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 16.3% $45

Eating Out

Oamaru

$247 13.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 8.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oamaru

$222 12.3%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 2.6% $5.7

Getting Around

Oamaru

$127 7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 61.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Oamaru

$77 4.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 104% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Oamaru

$59 3.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 24.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,042 in Oamaru and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68 in Oamaru vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $322, with Oamaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

15:42 3:42 PM

12 h behind Oamaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,850

1,660,122

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

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

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oamaru Barcelona 19,020 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Oamaru
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

Oamaru vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,809 in Oamaru and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Oamaru is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Oamaru. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,042 in Oamaru versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Oamaru versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 76% less than in Oamaru. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

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