Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ohrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Ohrid: $971 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Ohrid
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Ohrid Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ohrid

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$971

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ohrid

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $971 in Ohrid.

Barcelona $2,453
Ohrid $971

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,542 in Ohrid.

Barcelona $3,509
Ohrid $1,542

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,114 in Ohrid.

Barcelona $4,564
Ohrid $2,114

Living in Barcelona is roughly 153% more expensive than in Ohrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Ohrid is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$7.30 MKD 402

140.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$36.62 MKD 2,018

84.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$7.29 MKD 402

85.60%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.67 MKD 147

19.48%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.95 MKD 162

-1.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.85 MKD 102

2.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.58 MKD 197

12.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.52 MKD 249

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.27 MKD 70.2

3.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.75 MKD 41.26

169.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.65 MKD 90.9

12.12%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.23 MKD 123

116.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$8.01 MKD 441

108.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$8.41 MKD 464

8.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$14.71 MKD 811

33.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$1.05 MKD 57.7

183.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.31 MKD 72.4

54.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.57 MKD 86.3

71.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.98 MKD 109

41.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.07 MKD 59.1

95.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.35 MKD 74.4

53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.03 MKD 56.8

41.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.78 MKD 42.80

20.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$3.36 MKD 185

104.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$5.60 MKD 308

40.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.06 MKD 58.2

33.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.51 MKD 83.0

68.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.10 MKD 60.7

185.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$23.88 MKD 1,316

6.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$1.11 MKD 61.2

169.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.89 MKD 49.13

67.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$9.23 MKD 509

261.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.50 MKD 82.7

20.00%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$29.9K MKD 1.7M

10.85%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$30.5K MKD 1.7M

3.95%

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

$180 €162

$130 MKD 7,153

39.02%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$18.33 MKD 1,010

-24.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$27.69 MKD 1,526

21.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$33.42 MKD 1,842

54.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$17.89 MKD 986

-10.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$6.27 MKD 346

75.28%

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

$917 €823

$276 MKD 15.2K

231.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$3,321 MKD 183.0K

396.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$97.9 MKD 5,395

-11.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$53.0 MKD 2,923

-27.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$99.9 MKD 5,504

5.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$130 MKD 7,184

-8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$282 MKD 15.5K

503.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$171 MKD 9,441

691.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$554 MKD 30.5K

370.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$363 MKD 20.0K

468.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$2,088 MKD 115.1K

231.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$1,299 MKD 71.6K

294.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$623 MKD 34.4K

254.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

7.3

-55.07%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ohrid: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ohrid

$171 17.6% 87.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ohrid

$214 22.1% 33.5% $108

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ohrid

$158 16.3% 40.9% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ohrid

$176 18.1% 22.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ohrid

$171 17.7% 8.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ohrid

$46 4.7% 37.5% $28

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ohrid

$34 3.5% 30.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $282 in Ohrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $37 in Ohrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $214 per month, with Ohrid cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇰 Ohrid

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

38,940

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.12 MKD (100 MKD = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.36 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Ohrid 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ohrid

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 Ohrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $971 in Ohrid, so Ohrid is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 3.5 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 $282 in Ohrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $276 in Ohrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ohrid 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 Ohrid are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ohrid gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.