Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nis and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,023 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,023

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,023 in Nis versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Nis $1,023
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,502 in Nis versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Nis $1,502
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,980 in Nis versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Nis $1,980
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Nis costs roughly 57% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nis is 24% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 RSD 915

$17.94 €15.96

-51.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.82 RSD 3,525

$68.1 €60.5

-50.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 RSD 1,008

$13.28 €11.81

-27.18%

Cappuccino

$1.95 RSD 203

$3.25 €2.89

-40.00%

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

$2.29 RSD 239

$3.01 €2.67

-23.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RSD 183

$1.87 €1.66

-6.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 RSD 380

$3.85 €3.42

-5.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 RSD 465

$4.48 €3.98

-0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.29 €1.15

-12.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RSD 72.9

$2.04 €1.81

-65.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 182

$1.72 €1.53

1.74%

Eggs

$2.35 RSD 245

$4.77 €4.24

-50.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 RSD 819

$16.77 €14.92

-53.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.69 RSD 594

$8.93 €7.94

-36.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 RSD 1,081

$19.88 €17.68

-47.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 RSD 116

$2.98 €2.65

-62.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 RSD 174

$2.03 €1.80

-17.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 RSD 155

$2.73 €2.43

-45.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 RSD 223

$2.68 €2.38

-20.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 RSD 85.6

$2.10 €1.87

-60.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.2

$2.08 €1.85

-65.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 RSD 69.0

$1.45 €1.29

-54.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 RSD 60.9

$0.89 €0.79

-34.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 RSD 462

$6.94 €6.17

-36.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 RSD 587

$7.78 €6.92

-27.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 RSD 73.9

$1.45 €1.29

-51.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 RSD 134

$2.57 €2.29

-50.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 RSD 183

$3.12 €2.77

-43.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 RSD 72.9

$1.44 €1.28

-51.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.10 RSD 845

$33.50 €29.80

-75.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 RSD 197

$1.79 €1.59

5.59%

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

$30.2K RSD 3.1M

$34.6K €30.8K

-12.76%

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

$23.3K RSD 2.4M

$30.1K €26.7K

-22.65%

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

$161 RSD 16.8K

$178 €158

-9.24%

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

$18.82 RSD 1,962

$13.32 €11.85

41.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.47 RSD 2,342

$34.88 €31.03

-35.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.95 RSD 3,122

$53.3 €47.37

-43.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.69 RSD 1,636

$16.01 €14.24

-2.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.73 RSD 493

$11.06 €9.84

-57.23%

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

$247 RSD 25.8K

$957 €851

-74.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,859 RSD 506.5K

$16.6K €14.7K

-70.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 RSD 9,350

$88.2 €78.4

1.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 RSD 3,973

$39.49 €35.12

-3.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 RSD 10.3K

$103 €91.5

-4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 RSD 11.2K

$121 €108

-11.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 RSD 40.9K

$1,653 €1,470

-76.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 RSD 29.0K

$1,302 €1,158

-78.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 RSD 60.6K

$2,557 €2,275

-77.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 RSD 41.7K

$1,915 €1,703

-79.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 RSD 258.2K

$7,286 €6,481

-66.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,826 RSD 190.4K

$5,080 €4,519

-64.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$886 RSD 92.4K

$2,281 €2,029

-61.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

3.28

56.10%

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

Last update for Nis: 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

Nis

$278 27.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 368% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nis

$203 19.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 11.5% $23

Groceries & Markets

Nis

$181 17.7%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 76.9% $139

Eating Out

Nis

$166 16.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 62.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Nis

$150 14.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 5.4% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nis

$39 3.9%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 91.2% $36

Getting Around

Nis

$5.3 * 0.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 803% $42

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 $392 in Nis and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 157% 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: $34.00 in Nis vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $320 per month, with Nis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Nis

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

Same time as Nis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,470

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nis Barcelona 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nis
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

Nis vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nis and Barcelona differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($1,023 vs $2,399 including rent). Nis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 157% 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: $392 in Nis versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $247 in Nis versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nis – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,023 in Nis versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nis but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Nis 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, Nis 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 Nis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.