Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ljubljana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ljubljana: $2,104 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,104

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ljubljana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,104 in Ljubljana.

Barcelona $2,453
Ljubljana $2,104

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,149 in Ljubljana.

Barcelona $3,509
Ljubljana $3,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,194 in Ljubljana.

Barcelona $4,564
Ljubljana $4,194

Living in Barcelona is roughly 17% more expensive than in Ljubljana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Ljubljana 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$15.86 €14.25

10.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$66.3 €59.6

1.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$11.33 €10.18

19.42%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.85 €2.56

11.93%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$3.07 €2.76

-5.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.83 €3.44

4.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.37 €3.93

3.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.32 €1.19

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.20 €1.98

-8.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.09 €2.77

-40.13%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.92 €3.52

23.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$14.57 €13.09

14.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$9.67 €8.69

-5.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$14.54 €13.07

35.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.25 €2.02

32.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.73 €1.56

16.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.31 €2.08

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.45 €3.10

-18.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.49 €1.34

40.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.56 €1.40

32.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.72 €1.54

-15.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.85 €0.76

10.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$6.11 €5.49

12.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.09

$7.66 €6.88

3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.39 €1.25

1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.18 €1.96

16.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.69 €1.52

85.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$41.77 €37.53

-39.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.22 €1.99

34.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.25 €1.12

19.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.99

$18.81 €16.90

77.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$29.4K €26.4K

12.94%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$24.7K €22.2K

28.58%

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

$180 €162

$289 €259

-37.51%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$15.95 €14.33

-13.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.28

$38.66 €34.73

-12.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.28

$51.3 €46.09

0.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$24.20 €21.74

-34.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$10.25 €9.21

7.22%

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

$917 €824

$643 €578

42.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$13.7K €12.3K

20.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$113 €101

-22.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.60

$43.11 €38.73

-10.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$110 €98.6

-3.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$143 €129

-16.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,149 €1,032

47.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,218

$907 €815

49.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,339

$2,366 €2,126

9.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,623 €1,458

27.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,213

$6,815 €6,124

1.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,607

$5,052 €4,539

1.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,940 €1,743

13.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.52

-6.82%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ljubljana: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ljubljana

$907 43.1% 33.1% $448

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ljubljana

$298 14.2% 7.3% $23

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ljubljana

$243 11.5% 9.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ljubljana

$343 16.3% 50.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ljubljana

$184 8.7% 16.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ljubljana

$72 3.4% 2.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ljubljana

$57 2.7% 17.6% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,149 in Ljubljana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 14% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $66 in Ljubljana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $298 per month, with Ljubljana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

285,604 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Ljubljana 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Ljubljana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Ljubljana differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $2,104 including rent). Ljubljana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,149 in Ljubljana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $643 in Ljubljana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 39% less than in Ljubljana. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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 Ljubljana are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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