Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Metkovic

For one person, living is cheaper in Metkovic: $1,528 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Metkovic
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Metkovic Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Metkovic

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Metkovic

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,528 in Metkovic.

Barcelona $2,453
Metkovic $1,528

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,293 in Metkovic.

Barcelona $3,509
Metkovic $2,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,058 in Metkovic.

Barcelona $4,564
Metkovic $3,058

Living in Barcelona is roughly 61% more expensive than in Metkovic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Metkovic 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$11.39 €10.23

54.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$45.52 €40.89

48.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$7.63 €6.85

77.33%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$1.64 €1.47

94.51%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$3.89 €3.49

-25.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.91 €2.62

-35.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.54 €4.98

-27.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.79 €4.30

-5.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.13 €1.01

15.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.70 €1.53

18.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.01 €2.70

-38.54%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$4.80 €4.31

0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$15.55 €13.97

7.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$9.52 €8.55

-4.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$11.96 €10.74

64.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$1.90 €1.70

56.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.58 €1.42

27.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.08 €1.86

29.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.70 €2.42

3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.18 €1.96

-4.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.03 €1.83

1.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.59 €1.42

-8.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.63 €1.46

-42.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$5.53 €4.97

24.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$7.94 €7.14

-0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.38 €1.24

2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.46 €1.31

73.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.45 €1.30

116.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$45.48 €40.86

-44.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.64 €3.27

-17.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.42 €1.28

4.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$15.02 €13.49

122.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.84 €1.65

-2.17%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$26.1K €23.4K

27.27%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$25.3K €22.7K

25.33%

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

$180 €162

$178 €160

1.48%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$27.55 €24.75

-49.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$41.98 €37.71

-19.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$48.17 €43.27

6.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$15.03 €13.50

6.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$10.43 €9.37

5.37%

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

$917 €823

$417 €375

119.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$6,948 €6,241

137.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$88.0 €79.0

-1.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$45.01 €40.43

-14.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$104 €93.7

1.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$78.6 €70.6

52.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$766 €688

121.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$517 €464

162.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,086 €975

139.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$892 €801

131.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$4,020 €3,612

71.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,883 €2,590

77.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$663 €596

233.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.72

-11.83%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Metkovic: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Metkovic

$517 33.8% 61.9% $838

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Metkovic

$293 19.2% 9.1% $29

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Metkovic

$198 13% 26% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Metkovic

$247 16.2% 8.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Metkovic

$142 9.3% 10% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Metkovic

$69 4.5% 6.1% $4.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Metkovic

$62 4.1% 28% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $766 in Metkovic. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $46 in Metkovic for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $293 per month, with Metkovic cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇷 Metkovic

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

15,235

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Metkovic 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Metkovic

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 Metkovic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,528 in Metkovic, so Metkovic is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 3.3 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 $766 in Metkovic. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $417 in Metkovic. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Metkovic is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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