Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Dubrovnik

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubrovnik: $1,979 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Dubrovnik
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Dubrovnik Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Dubrovnik

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Dubrovnik

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 Dubrovnik actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,979 in Dubrovnik.

Barcelona $2,399
Dubrovnik $1,979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,933 in Dubrovnik.

Barcelona $3,410
Dubrovnik $2,933

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,886 in Dubrovnik.

Barcelona $4,421
Dubrovnik $3,886

Living in Barcelona is roughly 21% more expensive than in Dubrovnik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Dubrovnik 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$19.49 €17.34

-7.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$77.3 €68.8

-11.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$12.71 €11.30

4.48%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.21 €3.74

-22.80%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$4.50 €4.01

-33.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$4.49 €3.99

-58.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.45 €4.85

-29.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$7.98 €7.10

-43.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.08 €0.96

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.21 €1.07

68.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.30 €2.05

-25.22%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.18 €3.72

14.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$9.90 €8.81

69.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$8.96 €7.97

-0.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$9.60 €8.54

107.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.77 €1.58

68.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.36 €1.21

49.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.70 €1.51

60.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.74 €2.44

-2.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.86 €0.77

144.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.91 €0.81

128.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.10 €0.98

31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.25 €1.11

-28.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$5.36 €4.76

29.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$4.41 €3.92

76.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.32 €1.18

9.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.88 €2.56

-10.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.83 €2.51

5.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$54.6 €48.53

-53.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$4.41 €3.92

-29.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.22 €1.08

18.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$7.40 €6.58

352.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.80 €1.60

-0.56%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$25.9K €23.0K

33.69%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$25.5K €22.7K

17.95%

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

$178 €158

0.19%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$22.58 €20.09

-41.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$42.34 €37.66

-17.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$70.1 €62.4

-24.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$23.39 €20.81

-31.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$8.00 €7.12

38.25%

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

$957 €851

$90.6 €80.6

956.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$6,922 €6,157

139.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$73.3 €65.2

20.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$27.46 €24.43

43.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$66.3 €58.9

55.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$78.4 €69.7

55.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,442 €1,283

14.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$906 €806

43.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,964 €1,747

30.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,442 €1,283

32.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$7,912 €7,038

-7.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$4,158 €3,698

22.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,437 €1,279

58.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.79

-13.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubrovnik: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Dubrovnik

$906 45.8% 30.4% $396

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Dubrovnik

$235 11.9% 26.7% $86

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Dubrovnik

$324 16.4% 19.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Dubrovnik

$242 12.3% 7.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Dubrovnik

$110 5.6% 30.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Dubrovnik

$86 4.4% 14.3% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Dubrovnik

$76 3.9% 60.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,442 in Dubrovnik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 59% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $77.0 in Dubrovnik. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $235, with Dubrovnik cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

41,562

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Dubrovnik 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Dubrovnik

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 Dubrovnik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Dubrovnik differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,979 including rent). Dubrovnik is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,442 in Dubrovnik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $90.6 in Dubrovnik. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,979 in Dubrovnik versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dubrovnik but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Dubrovnik the clear choice for anyone on this 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, Barcelona and Dubrovnik are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dubrovnik gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.