Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, TN and Ljubljana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ljubljana: $2,073 a month against $2,317 in Columbia, TN, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Columbia, TN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, TN
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Columbia, TN Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index

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Columbia, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,317

/mo nomad

Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Columbia, TN and in Ljubljana

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Columbia, TN and in Ljubljana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,317 in Columbia, TN versus $2,073 in Ljubljana.

Columbia, TN $2,317
Ljubljana $2,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Columbia, TN versus $3,059 in Ljubljana.

Columbia, TN $3,477
Ljubljana $3,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,637 in Columbia, TN versus $4,045 in Ljubljana.

Columbia, TN $4,637
Ljubljana $4,045

Living in Columbia, TN is roughly 12% more expensive than in Ljubljana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, TN 72% above, Ljubljana 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 $11.87

$15.76 €14.02

-24.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$67.0 €59.6

-9.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.07 €9.84

-8.94%

Cappuccino

$3.95 $3.95

$2.85 €2.53

38.60%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$3.10 €2.76

-28.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.98 €1.76

-20.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.38 $6.38

$4.01 €3.56

59.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.27 $7.27

$4.44 €3.95

63.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.30 €1.16

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.17 €1.93

36.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.08 €2.74

33.12%

Eggs

$2.61 $2.61

$4.05 €3.60

-35.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$14.79 €13.15

-10.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$10.03 €8.92

-34.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$14.84 €13.20

-9.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.19 €1.95

154.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.74 €1.55

-30.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.27 €2.02

153.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.55 €3.15

12.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.50 €1.34

110.00%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.63 €1.45

155.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.71 €1.52

42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.83 €0.74

155.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 $10.61

$6.16 €5.48

72.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 $13.11

$7.62 €6.78

72.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.42 €1.26

23.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.16 €1.92

-27.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.07 €37.42

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.21 €1.97

-11.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.29 €1.15

9.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.79 $19.79

$19.24 €17.11

2.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.85 €1.65

-58.92%

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

$37.6K $37.6K

$29.4K €26.1K

28.00%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$25.0K €22.2K

9.62%

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

$157 $157

$278 €248

-43.71%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$16.61 €14.78

262.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.9 $74.9

$40.72 €36.22

83.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.38 $34.38

$53.8 €47.87

-36.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.04 €21.38

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 $12.60

$10.77 €9.58

16.99%

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

$1,696 $1,696

$658 €585

157.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$14.1K €12.5K

76.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.58 $40.58

$115 €102

-64.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.45 $33.45

$42.95 €38.20

-22.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$108 €95.9

-23.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 $88.6

$145 €129

-39.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,090 €970

35.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$875 €779

44.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$2,074 €1,845

20.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,343 $2,343

$1,459 €1,298

60.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,492 €5,774

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,815 €4,283

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,929 €1,716

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

3.52

87.50%

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

Last update for Columbia, TN: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ljubljana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, TN

$1.3K 54.6%

Ljubljana

$875 42.2% 30.8% $389

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, TN

$348 15%

Ljubljana

$302 14.6% 13.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, TN

$292 12.6%

Ljubljana

$336 16.2% 15.1% $44

Eating Out

Columbia, TN

$234 10.1%

Ljubljana

$243 11.7% 3.6% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, TN

$110 4.8%

Ljubljana

$185 8.9% 67.8% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, TN

$60 2.6%

Ljubljana

$75 3.6% 26.5% $16

Getting Around

Columbia, TN

$9 * 0.4%

Ljubljana

$57 2.8% 538% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,476 in Columbia, TN and $1,090 in Ljubljana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Columbia, TN vs $67.0 in Ljubljana. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $302, with Ljubljana cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, TN

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

21:36 9:36 PM

7 h ahead of Columbia, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228

285,604 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Columbia, TN Ljubljana 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, TN
Ljubljana

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

Columbia, TN vs Ljubljana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ljubljana is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,476 in Columbia, TN and $3,110 in Ljubljana 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,476 in Columbia, TN versus $1,090 in Ljubljana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,696 in Columbia, TN versus $658 in Ljubljana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ljubljana – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $60.0 in Columbia, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,073 in Ljubljana versus $2,317 in Columbia, TN, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ljubljana but tight or insufficient in Columbia, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Ljubljana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ljubljana is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Columbia, TN, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Columbia, TN and Ljubljana 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 Ljubljana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Columbia, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.