Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Novo Mesto

For one person, living is cheaper in Novo Mesto: $1,476 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Novo Mesto
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Novo Mesto Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Novo Mesto

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Novo Mesto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,476 in Novo Mesto.

Barcelona $2,453
Novo Mesto $1,476

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,163 in Novo Mesto.

Barcelona $3,509
Novo Mesto $2,163

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,851 in Novo Mesto.

Barcelona $4,564
Novo Mesto $2,851

Living in Barcelona is roughly 66% more expensive than in Novo Mesto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Novo Mesto 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$11.07 €9.91

58.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$33.99 €30.44

98.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.80 €7.88

53.75%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.81 €1.62

76.24%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.20 €1.97

32.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.54 €1.38

22.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.08 €2.76

30.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.74 €2.46

65.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.26 €1.13

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.84 €1.65

9.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.87 €2.57

-35.54%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.77 €3.37

28.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$13.23 €11.85

26.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.33 €8.35

-2.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$9.12 €8.17

115.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.64 €1.47

81.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.73 €1.55

16.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.01 €1.80

34.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.46 €3.10

-19.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.10 €0.98

90.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.47 €1.31

40.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.20 €1.08

21.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.73 €0.66

28.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$5.67 €5.08

21.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$6.70 €6.00

17.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.38 €1.24

2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.78 €1.59

42.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.34 €1.20

134.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$33.74 €30.22

-24.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.65 €1.47

81.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.39 €1.24

7.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$28.09 €25.16

18.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.59 €1.42

13.21%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$29.4K €26.3K

13.08%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$23.8K €21.4K

32.97%

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

$180 €162

$282 €253

-36.12%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$11.39 €10.20

21.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$38.78 €34.73

-13.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$50.8 €45.45

1.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$34.15 €30.58

-53.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$7.98 €7.15

37.72%

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

$917 €821

$506 €453

81.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.4K €10.2K

44.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$91.0 €81.5

-4.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$37.17 €33.29

3.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$120 €107

-11.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$149 €133

-19.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$495 €443

243.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$419 €376

223.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$835 €748

211.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$727 €651

183.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$2,847 €2,550

142.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$3,214 €2,878

59.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,410 €1,263

56.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.29

-0.30%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Novo Mesto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Novo Mesto

$419 28.4% 69.1% $936

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Novo Mesto

$259 17.5% 19.6% $63

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Novo Mesto

$173 11.7% 35.6% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Novo Mesto

$333 22.5% 45.9% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Novo Mesto

$178 12.1% 12.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Novo Mesto

$67 4.5% 9.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Novo Mesto

$48 3.2% 1.6% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $495 in Novo Mesto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 57% 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 $34 in Novo Mesto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $259 per month, with Novo Mesto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇮 Novo Mesto

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

23,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Novo Mesto 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Novo Mesto

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 Novo Mesto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,476 in Novo Mesto, so Novo Mesto is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% 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 $495 in Novo Mesto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $506 in Novo Mesto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,476 in Novo Mesto versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Novo Mesto but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Novo Mesto 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.

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