Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kotor

For one person, living is cheaper in Kotor: $1,543 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Kotor
Learn more

Kotor Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Kotor

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kotor

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,543 in Kotor.

Barcelona $2,381
Kotor $1,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,446 in Kotor.

Barcelona $3,406
Kotor $2,446

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,350 in Kotor.

Barcelona $4,431
Kotor $3,350

Living in Barcelona is roughly 54% more expensive than in Kotor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Kotor 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$11.27 €10.03

58.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$59.7 €53.1

10.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.34 €10.08

20.72%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.22 €2.86

-4.97%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.50 €2.22

22.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.47 €1.30

31.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.02 €2.69

28.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.16 €3.70

10.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.33 €1.18

-2.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.93 €0.83

125.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.98 €1.76

-7.58%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.57 €3.18

29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$8.78 €7.81

97.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.49 €7.55

9.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$12.57 €11.18

57.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.27 €1.13

137.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.68 €1.49

20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.55 €1.38

70.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.42 €2.15

18.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.88 €0.79

145.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.07 €0.95

100.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.44 €1.28

2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.86 €0.76

2.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$4.41 €3.92

57.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.95 €7.07

-1.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.13 €1.01

23.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.75 €1.55

50.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.66 €1.48

75.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$44.59 €39.67

-42.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.79 €0.70

279.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.09 €0.97

32.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$11.32 €10.07

193.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.70 €1.52

9.41%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$27.6K €24.5K

17.20%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$23.9K €21.2K

32.86%

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

$183 €163

$128 €113

43.25%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$17.30 €15.39

-21.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$32.15 €28.60

2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$45.75 €40.69

19.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$19.82 €17.63

-16.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.30 €5.60

78.25%

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

$954 €849

$335 €298

185.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,192 €6,398

130.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$88.9 €79.0

-3.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$44.84 €39.88

-12.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$96.0 €85.4

8.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$107 €95.0

11.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$683 €607

148.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$665 €591

91.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,343 €1,195

91.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,322 €1,176

45.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,875 €3,447

87.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,840 €2,526

76.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$950 €845

134.48%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Kotor: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Kotor

$665 43.1% 47.9% $611

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Kotor

$232 15% 28.7% $93

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Kotor

$202 13.1% 25% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Kotor

$177 11.5% 22.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Kotor

$151 9.8% 3.2% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Kotor

$58 3.8% 24.4% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Kotor

$57 3.7% 21.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $683 in Kotor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 134% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $60.0 in Kotor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $232 per month, with Kotor cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇪 Kotor

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

13,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Barcelona
Kotor

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 Kotor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Kotor differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,543 including rent). Kotor is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 134% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $683 in Kotor. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $335 in Kotor. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,543 in Kotor versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kotor but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kotor 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 Kotor 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 Kotor gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.