Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zadar and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Zadar: $1,696 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,696

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,696 in Zadar versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Zadar $1,696
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Zadar versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Zadar $2,573
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,450 in Zadar versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Zadar $3,450
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Zadar costs roughly 29% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zadar 25% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 €12.91

$17.89 €15.92

-18.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 €70.4

$66.2 €58.9

19.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.68 €6.84

$13.69 €12.18

-43.90%

Cappuccino

$2.53 €2.25

$3.06 €2.72

-17.32%

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

$2.93 €2.61

$3.07 €2.73

-4.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.94 €1.73

8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.08

$3.87 €3.44

-10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €4.07

$4.61 €4.10

-0.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.30 €1.16

-13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.10 €1.87

-19.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 €2.68

$1.83 €1.62

65.03%

Eggs

$3.83 €3.41

$4.62 €4.11

-17.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 €9.68

$17.36 €15.44

-37.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 €8.46

$9.28 €8.25

2.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 €10.81

$19.83 €17.64

-38.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.01 €2.68

-37.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.03 €1.81

-22.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.65 €2.36

-21.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.87 €2.55

-9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.16 €1.92

2.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$2.15 €1.91

-38.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.47 €1.31

-10.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.07

$0.88 €0.79

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.66 €5.04

$6.93 €6.16

-18.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 €7.17

$7.83 €6.96

3.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.39 €1.24

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$2.63 €2.34

-43.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.91 €2.59

-39.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.98 €39.12

$25.46 €22.64

72.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 €2.92

$3.00 €2.66

9.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.44 €1.28

54.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.02 €19.59

$33.20 €29.53

-33.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.86 €1.65

-2.69%

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

$26.5K €23.6K

$32.3K €28.8K

-17.96%

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

$24.8K €22.0K

$31.7K €28.2K

-21.90%

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

$182 €162

$183 €163

-0.56%

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

$22.19 €19.74

$13.61 €12.11

63.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.87 €36.35

$32.93 €29.29

24.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 €49.79

$54.7 €48.65

2.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.74 €14.89

$16.52 €14.70

1.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 €9.48

$11.23 €9.99

-5.08%

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

$247 €220

$954 €849

-74.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,857 €6,099

$16.6K €14.8K

-58.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €79.4

$86.0 €76.5

3.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.91 €31.94

$39.11 €34.78

-8.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$104 €92.2

0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 €70.3

$119 €106

-33.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 €799

$1,695 €1,508

-47.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 €610

$1,276 €1,135

-46.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 €1,285

$2,576 €2,291

-43.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 €993

$1,922 €1,710

-41.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,649 €4,135

$7,281 €6,477

-36.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,028 €3,583

$5,010 €4,456

-19.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,412 €1,256

$2,227 €1,981

-36.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

3.28

7.93%

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

Last update for Zadar: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zadar

$686 40.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 86.1% $590

Groceries & Markets

Zadar

$267 15.8%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 21.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zadar

$245 14.4%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 6.3% $15

Eating Out

Zadar

$216 12.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 24.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Zadar

$139 8.2%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 12.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Zadar

$77 4.6%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Zadar

$65 3.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 27.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $898 in Zadar and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 58% 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: $79.0 in Zadar vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $325, with Zadar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zadar

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

Same time as Zadar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,309

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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Highest

Between locations

Zadar Barcelona 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Zadar
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

Zadar vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zadar and Barcelona differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,696 vs $2,381 including rent). Zadar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% 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: $898 in Zadar versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $247 in Zadar versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,696 in Zadar versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Zadar but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zadar 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, Zadar 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 Zadar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.