Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Makarska

For one person, living is cheaper in Makarska: $1,613 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Makarska
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Makarska Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Makarska

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Makarska

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,613 in Makarska.

Barcelona $2,443
Makarska $1,613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,481 in Makarska.

Barcelona $3,519
Makarska $2,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,349 in Makarska.

Barcelona $4,595
Makarska $3,349

Living in Barcelona is roughly 51% more expensive than in Makarska, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Makarska 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$17.40 €15.46

1.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$77.1 €68.5

-12.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$7.93 €7.04

71.63%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$3.25 €2.88

-4.62%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$4.00 €3.55

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$3.06 €2.72

-36.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$5.45 €4.84

-29.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$4.83 €4.29

-9.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.18 €1.05

5.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.66 €1.47

27.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.04 €2.70

-35.20%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$5.03 €4.47

-5.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$14.99 €13.31

13.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$9.57 €8.51

-6.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$12.11 €10.76

70.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.92 €1.70

64.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.59 €1.41

23.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.09 €1.86

26.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$2.67 €2.38

7.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.20 €1.95

-6.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.08 €1.85

4.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.59 €1.41

-3.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.55 €1.38

-37.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$5.69 €5.06

22.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$7.92 €7.04

-0.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.37 €1.21

3.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.48 €1.32

81.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.69 €1.50

95.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$43.77 €38.88

-41.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.30 €2.94

-6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.38 €1.23

7.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$13.47 €11.97

144.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.65 €1.47

13.33%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$26.2K €23.2K

26.05%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$24.6K €21.9K

29.66%

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

$183 €162

$181 €161

0.96%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$27.54 €24.47

-48.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$42.92 €38.13

-19.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$51.7 €45.92

-0.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

$15.42 €13.70

6.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$10.67 €9.48

3.66%

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

$944 €838

$412 €366

129.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$6,854 €6,088

224.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$91.0 €80.8

-3.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$44.42 €39.46

-12.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$104 €92.4

0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$79.4 €70.5

48.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$685 €608

147.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$525 €467

154.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$1,162 €1,032

131.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$862 €766

140.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$3,989 €3,543

79.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$2,885 €2,563

76.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.72

-14.25%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Makarska: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Makarska

$525 32.6% 60.7% $811

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Makarska

$292 18.1% 10.9% $36

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Makarska

$267 16.6% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Makarska

$252 15.6% 8.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Makarska

$143 8.9% 8.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Makarska

$73 4.5% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Makarska

$61 3.8% 23.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $685 in Makarska. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $77 in Makarska. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $292, with Makarska cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇷 Makarska

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

12,809

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Makarska 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Makarska

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 Makarska: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,613 in Makarska, so Makarska is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $2,420 in Makarska to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $685 in Makarska. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $412 in Makarska. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Makarska are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.