Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Žalec and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Žalec: $1,661 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Žalec
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Žalec Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Žalec

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,661

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,661 in Žalec versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Žalec $1,661
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,396 in Žalec versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Žalec $2,396
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,131 in Žalec versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Žalec $3,131
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Žalec costs roughly 32% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Žalec 23% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.99 €8.91

$17.66 €15.75

-43.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.94 €36.52

$67.5 €60.2

-39.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 €7.05

$13.61 €12.14

-41.88%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$3.10 €2.77

-37.10%

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

$3.27 €2.92

$3.00 €2.68

9.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.93 €1.72

-15.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 €3.37

$3.84 €3.43

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.46

$4.36 €3.89

-11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.25 €1.11

6.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.12 €1.90

3.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.97 €1.76

-10.66%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.48

$4.76 €4.25

-18.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.44 €8.42

$17.07 €15.22

-44.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.47

$8.96 €7.99

5.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 €13.11

$20.65 €18.42

-28.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$3.16 €2.82

-38.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.97 €1.75

-15.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.65 €2.37

-26.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.88 €2.57

-1.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$2.06 €1.84

-49.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 €0.74

$2.18 €1.95

-61.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.53 €1.37

-7.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.68

$0.97 €0.87

-20.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 €5.25

$6.97 €6.21

-15.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.70 €5.97

$7.89 €7.04

-15.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.42 €1.26

1.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.69 €2.40

-32.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 €1.25

$3.31 €2.95

-57.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.00 €30.33

$25.61 €22.84

32.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.08 €2.75

-37.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.48 €1.32

-12.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.22 €18.04

$32.87 €29.32

-38.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.87 €1.66

-12.83%

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

$29.1K €26.0K

$33.0K €29.4K

-11.72%

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

$23.8K €21.2K

$31.9K €28.5K

-25.53%

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

$280 €250

$183 €163

53.19%

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

$16.43 €14.66

$14.24 €12.70

15.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.11 €25.07

$34.56 €30.83

-18.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 €56.9

$51.4 €45.87

24.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

Cinema Ticket

$10.23 €9.13

$11.06 €9.87

-7.50%

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

$630 €562

$944 €842

-33.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K €10.8K

$22.3K €19.9K

-45.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.7 €81.8

$87.7 €78.2

4.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.75 €32.78

$38.77 €34.59

-5.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.0

$105 €93.3

5.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$118 €105

5.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 €638

$1,697 €1,514

-57.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 €539

$1,337 €1,192

-54.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 €1,010

$2,692 €2,401

-57.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 €888

$2,077 €1,853

-52.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,246 €2,895

$7,155 €6,382

-54.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,078 €2,745

$5,079 €4,530

-39.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,509 €1,346

$2,241 €1,999

-32.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.19

10.34%

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

Last update for Žalec: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Žalec

$604 36.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 121% $733

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Žalec

$325 19.6%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 28.6% $93

Groceries & Markets

Žalec

$263 15.9%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 24.5% $64

Eating Out

Žalec

$173 10.4%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 54% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Žalec

$163 9.8%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 3.8% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Žalec

$84 5.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 12.7% $11

Getting Around

Žalec

$48 2.9%

Barcelona

$49 2% 2.8% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Žalec and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Žalec vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $328 per month, with Žalec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Žalec

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

Same time as Žalec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

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

Žalec Barcelona 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Žalec
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

Žalec vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,661 in Žalec and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Žalec is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Žalec. 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: $716 in Žalec versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $630 in Žalec 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 24% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Žalec gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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