Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ulcinj

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulcinj: $1,226 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Ulcinj, Montenegro
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Ulcinj
🇲🇪 Montenegro
$1,226
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ulcinj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,226 in Ulcinj.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Ulcinj $1,226

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,881 in Ulcinj.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Ulcinj $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,536 in Ulcinj.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Ulcinj $2,536

Living in Barcelona is roughly 100% more expensive than in Ulcinj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Ulcinj is 10% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Ulcinj
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.76
$10.97 €9.83
60.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.5
$36.74 €32.92
83.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.12
$7.94 €7.11
70.40%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.86
$2.30 €2.06
38.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.61
$2.29 €2.05
27.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$1.61 €1.44
17.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.59
$2.28 €2.05
75.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.06
$3.30 €2.96
37.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Ulcinj
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.16 €1.04
12.93%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$0.64 €0.58
215.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$2.80 €2.51
-33.93%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.33
$1.92 €1.72
151.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.00
$9.06 €8.12
84.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.17
$7.45 €6.67
22.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.60
$12.46 €11.17
57.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.67
$1.28 €1.15
132.81%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.55 €1.39
30.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.42
$1.04 €0.93
159.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.51
$1.16 €1.04
141.38%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$0.76 €0.68
175.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$1.26 €1.13
64.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.51 €1.35
-3.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.88 €0.78
6.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.16
$3.83 €3.43
79.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.07
$4.50 €4.03
75.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.23 €1.10
14.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.27
$1.70 €1.53
49.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Ulcinj
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$1.83 €1.64
71.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.80
$37.79 €33.87
-32.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.68
$1.14 €1.02
162.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$1.09 €0.98
36.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.91
$16.50 €14.78
102.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.58 €1.42
13.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.7K
$32.3K €29.0K
2.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.4K
$21.6K €19.3K
47.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Ulcinj
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$133 €120
35.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.40
$13.02 €11.67
6.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.20
$25.56 €22.91
31.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Ulcinj
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.16
$22.54 €20.20
128.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.30
$16.12 €14.44
-0.99%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.85
$7.97 €7.14
37.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Ulcinj
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €821
$441 €396
107.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$6,847 €6,136
140.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Ulcinj
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.0
$85.1 €76.3
2.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.51
$33.83 €30.31
13.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.8
$71.7 €64.3
47.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$93.9 €84.1
27.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Ulcinj
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,523
$674 €604
152.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,214
$459 €411
195.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,332
$1,488 €1,334
74.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,848
$860 €771
139.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,196
$3,694 €3,310
87.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,595
$2,403 €2,154
113.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Ulcinj
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,981
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
5
-34.40%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ulcinj: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Ulcinj
$459 66.1% $896
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Ulcinj
$204 36.5% $118
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Ulcinj
$173 35.5% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Ulcinj
$172 24.6% $56
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Ulcinj
$128 18.9% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Ulcinj
$38 47.6% $35
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Ulcinj
$52 6.6% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $674 in Ulcinj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $37 in Ulcinj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $204 per month, with Ulcinj cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇲🇪 Ulcinj
🕒 Local time
05:02 5:02 AM
05:02 5:02 AM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
10,707
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Ulcinj 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Ulcinj

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 Ulcinj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Ulcinj?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,226 in Ulcinj, so Ulcinj is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Ulcinj?
You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,839 in Ulcinj to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Ulcinj?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $674 in Ulcinj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Ulcinj?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $441 in Ulcinj. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,226 in Ulcinj versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ulcinj but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ulcinj the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Ulcinj?
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.
Is Barcelona or Ulcinj safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Ulcinj are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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