Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Varazdin

For one person, living is cheaper in Varazdin: $1,286 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Varazdin
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Varazdin Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Varazdin

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,286

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Varazdin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,286 in Varazdin.

Barcelona $2,453
Varazdin $1,286

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,861 in Varazdin.

Barcelona $3,509
Varazdin $1,861

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,436 in Varazdin.

Barcelona $4,564
Varazdin $2,436

Living in Barcelona is roughly 91% more expensive than in Varazdin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Varazdin is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$11.03 €9.88

59.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$62.3 €55.9

8.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.03 €8.98

34.90%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.35 €2.10

35.74%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.57 €2.30

13.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.92 €1.72

-1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.95 €3.54

1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.43 €3.07

32.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.23 €1.10

6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.63 €1.46

23.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.49 €2.23

-25.70%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.47 €3.11

39.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$5.65 €5.07

196.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.59 €7.70

6.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.52 €13.01

35.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.64 €1.47

81.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.70 €1.52

18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.82 €1.63

48.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.41 €2.16

16.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.22 €1.09

71.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.10 €0.98

88.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.09 €0.98

33.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.14 €1.02

-17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$5.88 €5.27

16.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$8.08 €7.24

-2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.72 €0.64

95.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.19 €1.96

15.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.31 €1.17

139.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$44.60 €39.97

-42.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.46 €3.10

-13.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.44 €1.29

3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$13.26 €11.88

151.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.68 €1.50

7.14%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.1K €25.2K

17.97%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$24.3K €21.8K

30.59%

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

$180 €162

$150 €135

19.95%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$14.09 €12.63

-1.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$30.82 €27.62

9.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$42.94 €38.48

19.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$13.12 €11.76

21.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.12 €8.18

20.50%

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

$917 €821

$150 €135

509.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$13.1K €11.7K

26.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$72.2 €64.7

20.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$33.04 €29.61

16.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$62.5 €56.0

69.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$73.6 €66.0

62.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$571 €511

197.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$428 €383

216.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$865 €775

200.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$471 €422

337.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,129 €2,804

121.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,476 €2,219

107.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,353 €1,213

63.36%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Varazdin: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Varazdin

$428 33.3% 68.5% $928

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Varazdin

$242 18.8% 24.9% $80

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Varazdin

$191 14.9% 28.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Varazdin

$195 15.2% 14.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Varazdin

$109 8.5% 31.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Varazdin

$61 4.8% 16.7% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Varazdin

$61 4.7% 24.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $571 in Varazdin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 63% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $62 in Varazdin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $242 per month, with Varazdin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇷 Varazdin

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

43,782

💱 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 Varazdin 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Varazdin

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 Varazdin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,286 in Varazdin, so Varazdin is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $571 in Varazdin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $150 in Varazdin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,286 in Varazdin versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Varazdin but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Varazdin 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 Varazdin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Varazdin wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.