Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makarska and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Makarska: $1,613 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Makarska
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Makarska Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Makarska

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,613

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,613 in Makarska versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Makarska $1,613
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,481 in Makarska versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Makarska $2,481
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,349 in Makarska versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Makarska $3,349
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Makarska costs roughly 34% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Makarska 19% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.40 €15.52

$17.66 €15.75

-1.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.7

$67.5 €60.2

14.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 €7.07

$13.61 €12.14

-41.73%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.90

$3.10 €2.77

4.84%

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

$4.00 €3.56

$3.00 €2.68

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.73

$1.93 €1.72

58.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.86

$3.84 €3.43

41.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 €4.31

$4.36 €3.89

10.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.25 €1.11

-5.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.12 €1.90

-21.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 €2.71

$1.97 €1.76

54.31%

Eggs

$5.03 €4.49

$4.76 €4.25

5.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.99 €13.37

$17.07 €15.22

-12.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 €8.54

$8.96 €7.99

6.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 €10.80

$20.65 €18.42

-41.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.16 €2.82

-39.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.97 €1.75

-19.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.65 €2.37

-21.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$2.88 €2.57

-7.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.06 €1.84

6.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.18 €1.95

-4.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.53 €1.37

3.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.39

$0.97 €0.87

59.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 €5.08

$6.97 €6.21

-18.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.07

$7.89 €7.04

0.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.42 €1.26

-3.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.69 €2.40

-44.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$3.31 €2.95

-48.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.77 €39.04

$25.61 €22.84

70.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 €2.95

$3.08 €2.75

7.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.48 €1.32

-6.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.47 €12.02

$32.87 €29.32

-59.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.87 €1.66

-11.76%

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

$26.2K €23.3K

$33.0K €29.4K

-20.67%

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

$24.6K €22.0K

$31.9K €28.5K

-22.88%

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

$181 €162

$183 €163

-0.95%

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

$27.54 €24.57

$14.24 €12.70

93.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.92 €38.28

$34.56 €30.83

24.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €46.12

$51.4 €45.87

0.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.42 €13.75

$16.38 €14.62

-5.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.67 €9.52

$11.06 €9.87

-3.53%

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

$412 €367

$944 €842

-56.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,854 €6,114

$22.3K €19.9K

-69.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 €81.2

$87.7 €78.2

3.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.42 €39.63

$38.77 €34.59

14.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$105 €93.3

-0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 €70.8

$118 €105

-32.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 €611

$1,697 €1,514

-59.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 €469

$1,337 €1,192

-60.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,037

$2,692 €2,401

-56.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$862 €769

$2,077 €1,853

-58.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,989 €3,558

$7,155 €6,382

-44.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,885 €2,574

$5,079 €4,530

-43.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.72

3.19

16.61%

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

Last update for Makarska: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makarska

$525 32.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 154% $811

Groceries & Markets

Makarska

$292 18.1%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 12.2% $36

Eating Out

Makarska

$267 16.6%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makarska

$252 15.6%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 7.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Makarska

$143 8.9%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 9.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Makarska

$73 4.5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Makarska

$61 3.8%

Barcelona

$49 2% 18.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $685 in Makarska and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $77 in Makarska vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $328, with Makarska cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Makarska

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

Same time as Makarska

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,809

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Makarska Barcelona 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Makarska
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

Makarska vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,613 in Makarska and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Makarska is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,420 in Makarska and $3,664 in Barcelona 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: $685 in Makarska versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $412 in Makarska versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Makarska and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.