Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wollongong and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,577 in Wollongong, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Wollongong despite lower rent and utilities.

123

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,577

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,577 in Wollongong versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Wollongong $2,577
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,790 in Wollongong versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Wollongong $3,790
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,004 in Wollongong versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Wollongong $5,004
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Wollongong is roughly 5% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wollongong 91% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.42 A$24.86

$17.66 €15.71

-1.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$121

$67.5 €60.0

25.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 A$15.17

$13.61 €12.12

-21.90%

Cappuccino

$3.53 A$5.04

$3.10 €2.76

13.87%

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

$3.33 A$4.75

$3.00 €2.67

11.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.10

$1.93 €1.71

12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 A$10.28

$3.84 €3.42

87.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.21 A$10.28

$4.36 €3.88

65.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 A$1.62

$1.25 €1.11

-8.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 A$4.16

$2.12 €1.89

37.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.18

$1.97 €1.76

13.20%

Eggs

$3.93 A$5.61

$4.76 €4.24

-17.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 A$14.89

$17.07 €15.19

-38.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.78

$8.96 €7.97

7.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 A$22.86

$20.65 €18.38

-22.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.33

$3.16 €2.81

-3.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.56

$1.97 €1.75

26.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.77

$2.65 €2.36

26.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 A$6.41

$2.88 €2.57

55.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.41

$2.06 €1.83

16.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.66

$2.18 €1.94

17.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 A$4.11

$1.53 €1.37

88.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 A$2.62

$0.97 €0.86

88.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.3

$6.97 €6.20

536.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 A$19.94

$7.89 €7.02

77.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 A$6.50

$1.42 €1.26

221.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 A$6.71

$2.69 €2.39

74.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 A$3.27

$3.31 €2.94

-30.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 A$200

$25.61 €22.79

447.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 A$5.19

$3.08 €2.74

17.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 A$2.67

$1.48 €1.32

26.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.72 A$66.7

$32.87 €29.25

42.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.91

$1.87 €1.66

-28.34%

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

$29.5K A$42.1K

$33.0K €29.3K

-10.48%

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

$24.7K A$35.2K

$31.9K €28.4K

-22.77%

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

$238 A$340

$183 €163

30.39%

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

$31.92 A$45.57

$14.24 €12.67

124.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.91 A$71.2

$34.56 €30.76

44.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.5 A$122

$51.4 €45.76

66.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.93 A$19.89

$16.38 €14.58

-14.96%

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 A$19.23

$11.06 €9.85

21.79%

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

$2,144 A$3,060

$944 €840

127.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K A$18.0K

$22.3K €19.8K

-43.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 A$99.6

$87.7 €78.0

-20.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 A$88.0

$38.77 €34.51

58.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 A$207

$105 €93.0

38.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$118 €105

-5.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 A$2,037

$1,697 €1,510

-15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 A$1,651

$1,337 €1,190

-13.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,413 A$3,443

$2,692 €2,396

-10.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 A$2,682

$2,077 €1,848

-9.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,592 A$6,554

$7,155 €6,367

-35.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,562 A$5,084

$5,079 €4,520

-29.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,227 A$7,460

$2,241 €1,995

133.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

3.19

63.95%

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

Last update for Wollongong: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wollongong

$1.2K 44.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 15.6% $180

Groceries & Markets

Wollongong

$365 14.2%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 10.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wollongong

$320 12.4%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 27.7% $89

Eating Out

Wollongong

$286 11.1%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 6.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Wollongong

$174 6.8%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 9.9% $17

Getting Around

Wollongong

$162 6.3%

Barcelona

$49 2% 69.6% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Wollongong

$112 4.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 34.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,427 in Wollongong and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wollongong pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Wollongong vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

08:13 8:13 AM

10 h behind Wollongong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

280,153

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 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 = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.622 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wollongong Barcelona 17,180 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Wollongong
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

Wollongong vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,577 in Wollongong and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Wollongong is about 2.3 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: $1,427 in Wollongong versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Wollongong 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 11% higher in Wollongong. 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, Wollongong 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, Wollongong on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.