Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zabljak

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabljak: $1,128 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Zabljak
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Zabljak Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Zabljak

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zabljak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,128 in Zabljak.

Barcelona $2,381
Zabljak $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,769 in Zabljak.

Barcelona $3,406
Zabljak $1,769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,410 in Zabljak.

Barcelona $4,431
Zabljak $2,410

Living in Barcelona is roughly 111% more expensive than in Zabljak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Zabljak is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$7.95 €7.08

125.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$31.82 €28.30

107.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$6.55 €5.82

109.01%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.63 €1.45

87.73%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.24 €2.00

37.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.45 €1.29

33.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.00 €2.66

29.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.54 €3.15

30.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.27 €1.13

2.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.65 €0.57

223.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.31 €1.17

39.69%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.97 €2.64

55.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$7.08 €6.30

145.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$7.22 €6.42

28.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$12.23 €10.88

62.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.32 €1.17

128.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.67 €1.49

21.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.51 €1.34

75.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.41 €1.26

103.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.65 €0.58

232.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.70 €0.62

207.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.91 €0.81

61.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.96 €0.86

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$4.01 €3.57

72.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$4.41 €3.92

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.07 €0.95

29.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.73 €1.54

52.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.63 €1.45

78.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$39.55 €35.18

-35.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.14 €1.02

163.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.64 €0.57

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$17.00 €15.12

95.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.77 €1.57

5.08%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$29.3K €26.1K

10.31%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.6K €22.7K

24.05%

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

$183 €163

$113 €101

61.42%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$15.02 €13.36

-9.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$22.02 €19.58

49.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$46.30 €41.18

18.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$14.72 €13.10

12.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.21 €5.53

80.84%

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

$954 €849

$392 €349

143.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$9,812 €8,728

69.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$22.65 €20.15

279.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$27.47 €24.43

42.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$55.0 €48.89

88.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$67.7 €60.2

75.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$645 €573

162.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$455 €405

180.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,277 €1,135

101.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$937 €834

105.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,324 €2,956

119.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,357 €2,097

112.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$801 €713

177.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.95

-44.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zabljak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Zabljak

$455 40.3% 64.4% $821

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Zabljak

$196 17.4% 39.6% $129

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Zabljak

$140 12.4% 48.2% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Zabljak

$150 13.3% 34.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Zabljak

$78 6.9% 50.3% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Zabljak

$59 5.2% 23.9% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Zabljak

$50 4.5% 6.6% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $645 in Zabljak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 178% 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 $32.00 in Zabljak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $196 per month, with Zabljak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇪 Zabljak

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,900

💱 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 Zabljak 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 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 Zabljak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Zabljak differ by about 111% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,128 including rent). Zabljak is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 178% 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 $645 in Zabljak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $392 in Zabljak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,128 in Zabljak versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zabljak but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zabljak 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 Zabljak 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 Zabljak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.