Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sabadell

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabadell: $1,828 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Sabadell
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Sabadell Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Sabadell

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,828

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sabadell

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Sabadell actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,828 in Sabadell.

Barcelona $2,381
Sabadell $1,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,513 in Sabadell.

Barcelona $3,406
Sabadell $2,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,197 in Sabadell.

Barcelona $4,431
Sabadell $3,197

Living in Barcelona is roughly 30% more expensive than in Sabadell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Sabadell 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.34 €12.76

24.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$55.3 €49.16

19.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$9.97 €8.87

37.31%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.40 €2.14

27.50%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.41 €2.14

27.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.89 €1.68

2.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.35 €2.98

15.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.37 €3.00

36.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.15 €1.03

13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.09 €1.86

0.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.40 €1.24

30.71%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.09 €2.75

49.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$14.79 €13.16

17.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.59 €7.64

8.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$19.86 €17.66

-0.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.50 €2.23

20.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.06 €1.83

-1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.58 €2.30

2.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.48 €2.20

15.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.83 €1.63

18.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.06 €1.83

4.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.52 €1.35

-3.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.95 €0.84

-7.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$6.80 €6.05

1.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.53 €4.92

41.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.14 €1.01

21.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.40 €2.13

9.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.40 €2.13

21.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$23.16 €20.61

9.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.15 €2.80

-4.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.34 €1.20

7.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$23.93 €21.29

38.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.77 €1.57

5.08%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$33.3K €29.6K

-2.75%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$29.0K €25.8K

9.27%

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

$183 €163

$127 €113

43.83%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$13.65 €12.14

-0.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$33.43 €29.74

-1.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$30.56 €27.19

78.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$8.49 €7.55

94.58%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$10.07 €8.96

11.52%

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

$954 €849

$505 €449

89.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$10.0K €8,898

65.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$78.7 €70.0

9.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$34.25 €30.47

14.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$107 €95.2

-3.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$90.1 €80.1

31.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,012 €900

67.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$914 €813

39.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,443 €1,283

78.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,091 €971

76.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,477 €3,093

109.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,574 €2,290

94.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,163 €1,924

2.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.3

-0.61%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sabadell: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Sabadell

$914 50% 28.4% $363

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Sabadell

$293 16.1% 9.7% $32

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Sabadell

$214 11.7% 20.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Sabadell

$174 9.5% 24% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Sabadell

$140 7.6% 10.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Sabadell

$51 2.8% 34.3% $26

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Sabadell

$43 2.3% 9.9% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,012 in Sabadell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 3% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $55.0 in Sabadell for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $293 per month, with Sabadell cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Sabadell

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

218,300

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Barcelona vs Sabadell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sabadell differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,828 including rent). Sabadell is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,012 in Sabadell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $505 in Sabadell. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,828 in Sabadell versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sabadell but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sabadell 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, Barcelona and Sabadell 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 Sabadell gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.