Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Budva

For one person, living is cheaper in Budva: $1,657 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Budva

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Budva actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,657 in Budva.

Barcelona $2,453
Budva $1,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,645 in Budva.

Barcelona $3,509
Budva $2,645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,632 in Budva.

Barcelona $4,564
Budva $3,632

Living in Barcelona is roughly 48% more expensive than in Budva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Budva 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$15.79 €14.15

11.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$75.8 €67.9

-10.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.51 €12.10

0.15%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.63 €3.25

-12.12%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.57 €2.31

13.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.67 €1.49

13.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.87 €4.36

-17.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.36 €3.91

3.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.28 €1.15

2.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.07 €0.96

88.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.07 €1.85

-10.63%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.04 €2.72

58.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$8.62 €7.72

94.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.47 €8.48

-3.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$12.19 €10.92

61.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.33 €1.19

124.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.73 €1.55

16.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.53 €1.37

76.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.92 €2.61

-4.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.93 €0.83

124.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.11 €0.99

86.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.74 €1.55

-16.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.04 €0.93

-9.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$4.50 €4.03

52.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$9.07 €8.12

-13.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.09 €0.97

29.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.89 €1.69

34.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.26 €2.92

-3.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$39.24 €35.14

-35.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.10 €0.98

171.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.09 €0.97

36.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$16.74 €14.99

99.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.79 €1.60

0.56%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$29.3K €26.2K

13.30%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.2K €23.5K

20.94%

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

$180 €162

$160 €144

12.59%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$14.43 €12.93

-4.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$33.34 €29.86

1.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$61.7 €55.3

-16.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$21.74 €19.47

-26.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$6.05 €5.42

81.65%

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

$917 €821

$408 €365

124.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.2K €9,128

61.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$106 €95.2

-18.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$44.55 €39.90

-13.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$107 €95.6

-0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$182 €163

-34.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$828 €742

105.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$614 €550

120.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,671 €1,497

55.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,213 €1,086

70.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$4,087 €3,661

69.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,973 €2,663

72.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,037 €929

113.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.95

-44.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Budva: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Budva

$614 37.1% 54.7% $741

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Budva

$243 14.7% 24.4% $78

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Budva

$261 15.7% 2.8% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Budva

$208 12.6% 8.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Budva

$198 11.9% 25.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Budva

$74 4.5% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Budva

$59 3.6% 21.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $828 in Budva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $76 in Budva. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $243, with Budva cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇪 Budva

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

13,338

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Budva 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Budva

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

Barcelona vs Budva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,657 in Budva, so Budva is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2.1 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $828 in Budva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $408 in Budva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Budva 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, Barcelona and Budva are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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