Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ljubljana and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ljubljana: $2,104 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,104

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ljubljana 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 Ljubljana and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,104 in Ljubljana versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Ljubljana $2,104
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,149 in Ljubljana versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Ljubljana $3,149
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,194 in Ljubljana versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Ljubljana $4,194
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Ljubljana costs roughly 14% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ljubljana 55% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.86 €14.23

$17.59 €15.78

-9.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 €59.5

$67.5 €60.5

-1.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 €10.16

$13.53 €12.13

-16.26%

Cappuccino

$2.85 €2.56

$3.19 €2.86

-10.66%

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

$3.07 €2.75

$2.91 €2.61

5.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.44

$4.01 €3.60

-4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.92

$4.53 €4.06

-3.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.19

$1.31 €1.17

0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.02 €1.81

8.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.77

$1.85 €1.66

67.03%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.51

$4.83 €4.34

-18.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 €13.07

$16.74 €15.01

-12.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.67 €8.68

$9.12 €8.18

6.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.54 €13.04

$19.64 €17.61

-25.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.98 €2.67

-24.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.02 €1.81

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.08

$2.70 €2.42

-14.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 €3.10

$2.80 €2.51

23.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.09 €1.87

-28.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.07 €1.86

-24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.46 €1.31

17.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.94 €0.84

-9.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 €5.48

$6.87 €6.16

-11.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 €6.87

$7.89 €7.07

-2.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.41 €1.26

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.96

$2.54 €2.27

-14.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.52

$3.14 €2.82

-46.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.77 €37.46

$25.45 €22.83

64.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.99 €2.68

-25.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.49 €1.34

-16.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.81 €16.87

$33.37 €29.94

-43.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.80 €1.61

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

$29.4K €26.4K

$33.2K €29.8K

-11.46%

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

$24.7K €22.1K

$31.7K €28.4K

-22.23%

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

$289 €259

$180 €162

60.02%

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

$15.95 €14.31

$13.84 €12.41

15.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.66 €34.68

$33.70 €30.23

14.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 €46.01

$51.5 €46.21

-0.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.20 €21.70

$15.96 €14.32

51.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 €9.19

$10.99 €9.86

-6.73%

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

$643 €577

$917 €822

-29.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.3K

$16.5K €14.8K

-16.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$87.0 €78.1

29.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.11 €38.67

$38.51 €34.54

11.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.4

$106 €94.9

3.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$120 €107

19.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,030

$1,699 €1,524

-32.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$907 €813

$1,355 €1,216

-33.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 €2,123

$2,603 €2,335

-9.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 €1,455

$2,062 €1,850

-21.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,815 €6,113

$6,915 €6,202

-1.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,052 €4,531

$5,128 €4,600

-1.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,940 €1,740

$2,211 €1,983

-12.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.28

7.32%

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

Last update for Ljubljana: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ljubljana

$907 43.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 49.4% $448

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ljubljana

$343 16.3%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 33.6% $115

Groceries & Markets

Ljubljana

$298 14.2%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 7.9% $23

Eating Out

Ljubljana

$243 11.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 10.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Ljubljana

$184 8.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 14.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ljubljana

$72 3.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 2.4% $1.7

Getting Around

Ljubljana

$57 2.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 15% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Ljubljana and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 14% 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 in Ljubljana vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $322 per month, with Ljubljana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

Same time as Ljubljana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,604 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ljubljana Barcelona 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ljubljana
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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

Ljubljana vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ljubljana and Barcelona differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,104 vs $2,453 including rent). Ljubljana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Ljubljana. 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: $1,149 in Ljubljana versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $643 in Ljubljana versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 39% less than in Ljubljana. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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, Ljubljana 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.

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