Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zadar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zadar: $1,696 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zadar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,696 in Zadar.

Barcelona $2,381
Zadar $1,696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,573 in Zadar.

Barcelona $3,406
Zadar $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,450 in Zadar.

Barcelona $4,431
Zadar $3,450

Living in Barcelona is roughly 40% more expensive than in Zadar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Zadar 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.51 €12.91

23.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$79.2 €70.4

-16.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.68 €6.84

78.26%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.53 €2.25

20.95%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.93 €2.61

4.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.11 €1.88

-8.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.46 €3.08

11.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.58 €4.07

0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.12 €1.00

16.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.70 €1.51

23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.02 €2.68

-39.40%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.83 €3.41

20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.88 €9.68

59.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.51 €8.46

-2.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$12.16 €10.81

63.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.89 €1.68

59.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.57 €1.40

29.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.07 €1.84

28.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.59 €2.31

10.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.21 €1.96

-2.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.33 €1.18

61.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.32 €1.17

11.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.21 €1.07

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.66 €5.04

22.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.07 €7.17

-2.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.38 €1.23

0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.48 €1.31

77.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.75 €1.55

66.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$43.98 €39.12

-42.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.28 €2.92

-8.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.23 €1.98

-35.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$22.02 €19.59

50.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.81 €1.61

2.76%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$26.5K €23.6K

21.89%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$24.8K €22.0K

28.04%

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

$183 €163

$182 €162

0.57%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$22.19 €19.74

-38.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$40.87 €36.35

-19.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$56.0 €49.79

-2.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$16.74 €14.89

-1.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$10.66 €9.48

5.35%

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

$954 €849

$247 €220

286.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$6,857 €6,099

142.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$89.3 €79.4

-3.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$35.91 €31.94

8.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$104 €92.9

-0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$79.1 €70.3

50.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$898 €799

88.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$686 €610

86.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,445 €1,285

78.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,116 €993

72.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,649 €4,135

56.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$4,028 €3,583

24.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,412 €1,256

57.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.54

-7.34%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zadar: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Zadar

$686 40.4% 46.3% $590

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Zadar

$267 15.8% 17.7% $58

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Zadar

$216 12.8% 19.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Zadar

$245 14.4% 6.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Zadar

$139 8.2% 11.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Zadar

$77 4.6% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Zadar

$65 3.9% 38.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $898 in Zadar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 58% 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 $79.0 in Zadar. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $267, with Zadar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇷 Zadar

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

67,309

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Zadar 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Zadar

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 Zadar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Zadar differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,696 including rent). Zadar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% 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 $898 in Zadar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $247 in Zadar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,696 in Zadar versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Zadar but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zadar 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 Zadar 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 Zadar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.