Cost of Living · AU vs ES
🇦🇺 Sydney vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,238 in Australia vs $1,382 in Spain — 38.25% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -42.17%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -42.17%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -42.17%
Closest to Australia prices
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -14.47%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -14.49%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -14.49%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Australia | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,610 | $931 (860 EUR) | -42.17% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,288 | $745 (688 EUR) | -42.17% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,943 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | -42.17% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $16.85 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | -34.96% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $70.23 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | -34.97% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $10.36 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | -32.34% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $1.05 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | -26.67% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $3.05 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | -26.89% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $3.24 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | -26.85% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $9.53 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | -26.86% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.81 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | -26.77% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.58 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | -26.86% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $11.44 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | -26.84% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.91 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | -27.23% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $5.62 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | -35.05% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.81 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | -14.47% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $4.68 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | -35.04% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.19 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | -26.94% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $61.23 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | -32.37% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.59 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | -32.43% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.75 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | -34.93% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.69 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | -34.91% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.93 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | -15.05% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $188 | $127 (118 EUR) | -32.38% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $65.94 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | -32.38% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $42.39 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | -32.37% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $46.82 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | -34.96% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $13.11 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | -35.01% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $28.09 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | -34.96% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $53.70 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | -14.49% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $87.87 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | -14.49% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $234 | $152 (141 EUR) | -34.97% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Spain than Australia?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $2,238 in Australia — 38.25% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $5.62 in Australia.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to Australia?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $1,610/month in Australia (-42.17%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.