Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rijeka

For one person, living is cheaper in Rijeka: $1,577 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Rijeka
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Rijeka Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Rijeka

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,577

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rijeka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,577 in Rijeka.

Barcelona $2,399
Rijeka $1,577

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,412 in Rijeka.

Barcelona $3,410
Rijeka $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,248 in Rijeka.

Barcelona $4,421
Rijeka $3,248

Living in Barcelona is roughly 52% more expensive than in Rijeka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Rijeka 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$13.14 €11.69

36.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$73.2 €65.1

-7.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$10.10 €8.98

31.49%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.35 €2.09

38.30%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.03 €2.70

-0.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.95 €1.74

-4.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.86 €3.43

-0.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.37 €3.88

2.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.25 €1.11

3.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.53 €1.37

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.29 €2.93

-47.72%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.72 €3.31

28.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$15.64 €13.91

7.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$10.25 €9.12

-12.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$14.21 €12.64

39.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.65 €1.47

80.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.75 €1.56

16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.83 €1.63

49.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.62 €2.33

2.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.37 €1.22

53.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.32 €1.17

57.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.32 €1.17

9.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.35 €1.20

-34.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$5.92 €5.26

17.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.61 €1.43

-9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.12 €1.88

21.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.21 €1.97

35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$54.4 €48.37

-53.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$5.73 €5.10

-45.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$27.76 €24.70

20.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.85 €1.64

-3.24%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$26.0K €23.1K

33.15%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$24.7K €21.9K

21.87%

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

$178 €158

$185 €164

-3.74%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$23.53 €20.93

-43.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$38.52 €34.26

-9.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$54.1 €48.13

-1.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$11.04 €9.82

45.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$6.70 €5.96

65.07%

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

$957 €851

$538 €479

77.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$12.8K €11.4K

29.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$99.9 €88.8

-11.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$42.00 €37.36

-5.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$101 €89.9

1.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$108 €95.8

12.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$693 €616

138.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$525 €467

147.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,205 €1,072

112.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$859 €764

122.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$4,045 €3,598

80.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,954 €3,517

28.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,494 €1,329

52.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.73

-12.06%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rijeka: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Rijeka

$525 33.3% 59.7% $777

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Rijeka

$292 18.5% 8.8% $28

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Rijeka

$212 13.4% 21.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Rijeka

$247 15.7% 9.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Rijeka

$158 10% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Rijeka

$68 4.3% 10.4% $7.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Rijeka

$76 4.8% 60.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $693 in Rijeka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 53% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $73.0 in Rijeka. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $292, with Rijeka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇷 Rijeka

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

107,964

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Rijeka 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Rijeka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Rijeka differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,577 including rent). Rijeka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 53% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $693 in Rijeka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $538 in Rijeka. 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.

At $1,577 in Rijeka versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rijeka but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Rijeka 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 Rijeka 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 Rijeka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.