Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sliven

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $779 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Sliven
Learn more

Sliven Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Sliven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sliven

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $779 in Sliven.

Barcelona $2,381
Sliven $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,232 in Sliven.

Barcelona $3,406
Sliven $1,232

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,684 in Sliven.

Barcelona $4,431
Sliven $1,684

Living in Barcelona is roughly 206% more expensive than in Sliven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Sliven is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$11.37 BGN 19.78

57.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$35.06 BGN 61.0

88.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.19 BGN 17.74

34.35%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.79 BGN 3.11

70.95%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.25 BGN 2.17

145.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.88 BGN 1.53

120.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.71 BGN 2.97

126.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.36 BGN 4.10

95.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.79 BGN 1.37

165.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.58 BGN 4.49

-29.07%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.09 BGN 3.63

121.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$8.12 BGN 14.12

113.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$5.50 BGN 9.57

68.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$6.67 BGN 11.61

197.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.47 BGN 2.56

104.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.65 BGN 2.88

23.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.45 BGN 2.52

82.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.16 BGN 3.77

32.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.51 BGN 0.88

323.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.88 BGN 1.53

144.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.02 BGN 1.77

44.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.48 BGN 0.83

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.49 BGN 6.08

98.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.14 BGN 10.68

27.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.01 BGN 1.77

37.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.27 BGN 2.21

107.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.70 BGN 1.22

315.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$34.80 BGN 60.6

-26.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.12 BGN 1.96

167.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.59 BGN 1.03

144.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$8.71 BGN 15.16

281.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.53 BGN 2.66

21.57%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$30.3K BGN 52.7K

6.80%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$22.2K BGN 38.6K

42.80%

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

$183 €163

$86.7 BGN 151

110.80%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$20.37 BGN 35.44

-33.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$9.44 BGN 16.43

248.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$23.32 BGN 40.58

134.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.80 BGN 10.09

93.62%

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

$954 €849

$508 BGN 885

87.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$6,395 BGN 11.1K

159.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$58.1 BGN 101

48.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$22.56 BGN 39.25

73.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$69.1 BGN 120

50.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$61.6 BGN 107

92.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$231 BGN 402

634.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$146 BGN 253

776.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$329 BGN 572

683.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$254 BGN 441

658.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,147 BGN 1,996

534.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$915 BGN 1,593

447.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,325 BGN 2,306

68.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.82

16.31%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sliven: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Sliven

$146 18.7% 88.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Sliven

$181 23.2% 44.4% $144

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Sliven

$165 21.1% 38.9% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Sliven

$117 15% 49.2% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Sliven

$95 12.2% 39.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Sliven

$35 4.5% 54.7% $42

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Sliven

$42 5.4% 11.9% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $231 in Sliven. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 68% 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 $35.00 in Sliven for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $181 per month, with Sliven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇬 Sliven

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

95,806

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Sliven 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sliven

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 Sliven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sliven differ by about 206% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $779 including rent). Sliven is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% 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 $231 in Sliven. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $508 in Sliven. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 80% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $779 in Sliven versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sliven but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sliven 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 Sliven 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 Sliven gentler on the wallet – expenses run 206% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.