Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubrovnik and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubrovnik: $1,979 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Dubrovnik
Learn more

Dubrovnik Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubrovnik

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,979

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubrovnik and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,979 in Dubrovnik versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Dubrovnik $1,979
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,933 in Dubrovnik versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Dubrovnik $2,933
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,886 in Dubrovnik versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Dubrovnik $3,886
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Dubrovnik costs roughly 18% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubrovnik 47% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.49 €17.34

$17.94 €15.96

8.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 €68.8

$68.1 €60.5

13.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.71 €11.30

$13.28 €11.81

-4.29%

Cappuccino

$4.21 €3.74

$3.25 €2.89

29.54%

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

$4.50 €4.01

$3.01 €2.67

49.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 €3.99

$1.87 €1.66

140.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.85 €3.42

41.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 €7.10

$4.48 €3.98

78.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.29 €1.15

-16.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 €1.07

$2.04 €1.81

-40.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.72 €1.53

33.72%

Eggs

$4.18 €3.72

$4.77 €4.24

-12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 €8.81

$16.77 €14.92

-40.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$8.93 €7.94

0.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 €8.54

$19.88 €17.68

-51.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.98 €2.65

-40.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.03 €1.80

-33.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.73 €2.43

-37.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.68 €2.38

2.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$2.10 €1.87

-59.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 €0.81

$2.08 €1.85

-56.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.45 €1.29

-24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.89 €0.79

40.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 €4.76

$6.94 €6.17

-22.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$7.78 €6.92

-43.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.45 €1.29

-8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.56

$2.57 €2.29

12.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 €2.51

$2.99 €2.66

-5.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 €48.53

$25.20 €22.41

116.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 €3.92

$3.12 €2.77

41.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.44 €1.28

-15.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 €6.58

$33.50 €29.80

-77.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.79 €1.59

0.56%

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

$25.9K €23.0K

$34.6K €30.8K

-25.20%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

-15.22%

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

$178 €158

-0.19%

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

$22.58 €20.09

$13.32 €11.85

69.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.34 €37.66

$34.88 €31.03

21.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 €62.4

$53.3 €47.37

31.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.39 €20.81

$16.01 €14.24

46.10%

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 €7.12

$11.06 €9.84

-27.67%

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

$90.6 €80.6

$957 €851

-90.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,922 €6,157

$16.6K €14.7K

-58.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 €65.2

$88.2 €78.4

-16.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.46 €24.43

$39.49 €35.12

-30.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 €58.9

$103 €91.5

-35.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 €69.7

$121 €108

-35.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,283

$1,653 €1,470

-12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 €806

$1,302 €1,158

-30.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,747

$2,557 €2,275

-23.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,283

$1,915 €1,703

-24.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,912 €7,038

$7,286 €6,481

8.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,698

$5,080 €4,519

-18.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,437 €1,279

$2,281 €2,029

-36.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.28

15.55%

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

Last update for Dubrovnik: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubrovnik

$906 45.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 43.7% $396

Eating Out

Dubrovnik

$324 16.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 16.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubrovnik

$242 12.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 6.8% $16

Groceries & Markets

Dubrovnik

$235 11.9%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 36.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Dubrovnik

$110 5.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 43.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Dubrovnik

$86 4.4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 12.5% $11

Getting Around

Dubrovnik

$76 3.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 37.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,442 in Dubrovnik and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 59% 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: $77.0 in Dubrovnik vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $320, with Dubrovnik cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

Same time as Dubrovnik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,562

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubrovnik Barcelona 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubrovnik
Barcelona

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

Dubrovnik vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubrovnik and Barcelona differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,979 vs $2,399 including rent). Dubrovnik is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,442 in Dubrovnik versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90.6 in Dubrovnik versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,979 in Dubrovnik versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dubrovnik but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Dubrovnik 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, Dubrovnik and Barcelona 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 Dubrovnik gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.