Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Pula

For one person, living is cheaper in Pula: $1,580 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Pula
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Pula Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Pula

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,580

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Pula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,580 in Pula.

Barcelona $2,381
Pula $1,580

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,515 in Pula.

Barcelona $3,406
Pula $2,515

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,450 in Pula.

Barcelona $4,431
Pula $3,450

Living in Barcelona is roughly 51% more expensive than in Pula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Pula 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.68 €13.06

21.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$68.1 €60.6

-2.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$8.92 €7.94

53.48%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.55 €2.27

20.00%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.93 €2.60

4.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.09 €1.86

-7.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.42 €3.05

13.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.41 €3.92

4.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.23 €1.10

5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.86 €1.65

12.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.18 €2.83

-42.45%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.78 €3.37

22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.95 €9.74

58.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$10.79 €9.59

-13.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$18.80 €16.72

5.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.98 €1.76

52.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.87 €1.67

8.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.14 €1.90

23.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.59 €2.30

10.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.36 €1.21

58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.33 €1.19

61.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.30 €1.15

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.22 €1.08

-27.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.59 €4.97

23.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.80 €6.94

0.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.85 €1.64

-24.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.40 €2.14

9.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.28 €2.03

27.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$33.26 €29.58

-23.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.28 €2.91

-8.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.22 €1.98

-35.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$22.18 €19.73

49.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.83 €1.62

1.64%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$26.0K €23.1K

24.43%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$26.6K €23.7K

19.14%

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

$183 €163

$156 €139

16.98%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$22.01 €19.58

-38.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$39.37 €35.02

-16.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$49.70 €44.21

10.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$37.64 €33.48

-56.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$10.59 €9.42

6.04%

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

$954 €849

$240 €214

297.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$2,826 €2,514

487.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$114 €101

-24.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$36.80 €32.74

6.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$144 €128

-28.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$131 €116

-9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$685 €609

147.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$522 €464

144.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,315 €1,170

95.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$999 €889

92.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,363 €3,881

66.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,650 €3,246

37.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,517 €1,349

46.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.54

-7.34%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Pula: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Pula

$522 33% 59.1% $755

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Pula

$301 19% 7.5% $24

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Pula

$221 14% 18.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Pula

$218 13.8% 5.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Pula

$192 12.1% 22.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Pula

$71 4.5% 8.1% $6.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Pula

$57 3.6% 20% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $685 in Pula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 47% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $68.0 in Pula. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $301, with Pula cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇷 Pula

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

52,220

💱 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 Pula 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Pula

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 Pula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Pula differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,580 including rent). Pula is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $685 in Pula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $240 in Pula. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,580 in Pula versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pula but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Pula 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Pula are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.