Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,606 in Townsville, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Townsville despite lower rent and utilities.

125

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,606

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,606 in Townsville versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Townsville $2,606
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,842 in Townsville versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Townsville $3,842
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,078 in Townsville versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Townsville $5,078
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Townsville is roughly 7% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Townsville 93% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.82 A$32.52

$17.66 €15.73

29.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 A$100

$67.5 €60.1

4.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.33

$13.61 €12.13

-10.65%

Cappuccino

$3.58 A$5.10

$3.10 €2.76

15.48%

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

$2.64 A$3.76

$3.00 €2.67

-12.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 A$3.52

$1.93 €1.72

27.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.53 A$12.16

$3.84 €3.42

122.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.27

$4.36 €3.88

65.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 A$2.53

$1.25 €1.11

41.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 A$3.23

$2.12 €1.89

7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 A$1.94

$1.97 €1.76

-30.96%

Eggs

$5.23 A$7.45

$4.76 €4.24

9.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 A$11.63

$17.07 €15.20

-52.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 A$14.09

$8.96 €7.98

10.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 A$19.06

$20.65 €18.39

-35.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 A$5.89

$3.16 €2.82

30.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 A$3.85

$1.97 €1.75

37.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 A$5.10

$2.65 €2.36

35.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 A$6.11

$2.88 €2.57

48.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.76

$2.06 €1.83

28.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.07

$2.18 €1.94

30.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.28

$1.53 €1.37

50.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 A$4.64

$0.97 €0.86

236.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.58 A$43.58

$6.97 €6.21

338.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 A$15.26

$7.89 €7.03

35.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.93 A$9.88

$1.42 €1.26

388.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.54 A$12.17

$2.69 €2.39

217.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 A$3.01

$3.31 €2.95

-36.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 A$78.7

$25.61 €22.81

115.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 A$3.74

$3.08 €2.75

-14.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 A$2.91

$1.48 €1.32

37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.02 A$62.7

$32.87 €29.28

33.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.76

$1.87 €1.66

-33.69%

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

$28.1K A$40.1K

$33.0K €29.4K

-14.62%

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

$27.8K A$39.7K

$31.9K €28.5K

-12.82%

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

$383 A$545

$183 €163

109.35%

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

$36.42 A$51.9

$14.24 €12.69

155.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 A$94.1

$34.56 €30.79

91.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$78.9

$51.4 €45.81

7.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 A$28.11

$16.38 €14.60

20.45%

Cinema Ticket

$15.23 A$21.71

$11.06 €9.86

37.70%

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

$2,084 A$2,970

$944 €841

120.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K A$17.5K

$22.3K €19.8K

-45.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 A$132

$87.7 €78.1

5.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 A$99.9

$38.77 €34.54

80.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 A$233

$105 €93.1

56.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$118 €105

11.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,286 A$1,832

$1,697 €1,512

-24.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 A$1,460

$1,337 €1,191

-23.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 A$3,296

$2,692 €2,398

-14.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 A$2,630

$2,077 €1,850

-11.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,976 A$7,091

$7,155 €6,373

-30.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,112 A$5,860

$5,079 €4,524

-19.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,066 A$5,794

$2,241 €1,997

81.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

3.19

78.06%

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

Last update for Townsville: November 3, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Townsville

$1K 39.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 30.4% $312

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Townsville

$485 18.6%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 52.3% $254

Groceries & Markets

Townsville

$389 14.9%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 15.6% $61

Eating Out

Townsville

$340 13%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 21.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Townsville

$206 7.9%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 23.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Townsville

$86 3.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 14.3% $12

Getting Around

Townsville

$77 2.9%

Barcelona

$49 2% 35.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,286 in Townsville and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Townsville pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Townsville vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Townsville

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

17:22 5:22 PM

9 h behind Townsville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,724

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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Between locations

Townsville Barcelona 15,870 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Townsville
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

Townsville vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,606 in Townsville and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Townsville, 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: $1,286 in Townsville versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,084 in Townsville 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 19% higher in Townsville. 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, Townsville 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, Townsville on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.