Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sacramento, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,000 in Sacramento, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Sacramento, CA
Learn more

Sacramento, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Sacramento, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sacramento, CA

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 Sacramento, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,000 in Sacramento, CA.

Barcelona $2,453
Sacramento, CA $3,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,471 in Sacramento, CA.

Barcelona $3,509
Sacramento, CA $4,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,943 in Sacramento, CA.

Barcelona $4,564
Sacramento, CA $5,943

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 18% less than in Sacramento, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Sacramento, CA 120% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$21.12 $21.12

-16.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$99.6 $99.6

-32.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.26 $12.26

10.36%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.19 $5.19

-38.54%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.91 $2.91

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.94 $2.94

-35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.85 $7.85

-48.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$7.83 $7.83

-42.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.31 $1.31

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$4.16 $4.16

-51.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.59 $4.59

-59.69%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.87 $5.87

-17.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$15.16 $15.16

10.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$15.14 $15.14

-39.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$18.50 $18.50

6.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.98 $4.98

-40.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.95 $1.95

3.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.41 $4.41

-38.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$5.67 $5.67

-50.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.67 $3.67

-43.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.31 $3.31

-37.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.40 $2.40

-39.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.61 $2.61

-63.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$11.83 $11.83

-41.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$14.21 $14.21

-44.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.59 $2.59

-45.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.65 $3.65

-30.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.57 $2.57

22.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$100.0 $100.0

-74.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.06 $4.06

-26.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.92 $1.92

-22.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$25.35 $25.35

31.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.62 $1.62

11.11%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.5K $34.5K

-3.88%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.7K $26.7K

18.94%

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

$180 €162

$231 $231

-21.84%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$61.0 $61.0

-77.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$69.0 $69.0

-51.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$31.12 $31.12

65.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$40.69 $40.69

-60.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$17.25 $17.25

-36.29%

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

$917 €821

$1,532 $1,532

-40.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$19.0K $19.0K

-13.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$60.5 $60.5

43.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$47.13 $47.13

-18.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$93.1 $93.1

13.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$131 $131

-8.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,986 $1,986

-14.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,491 $1,491

-9.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$3,109 $3,109

-16.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,505 $2,505

-17.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,486 $5,486

26.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$3,428 $3,428

49.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,815 $4,815

-54.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.59

-50.23%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sacramento, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Sacramento, CA

$1.5K 49.7% 10% $136

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Sacramento, CA

$463 15.4% 43.8% $141

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Sacramento, CA

$346 11.5% 29.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Sacramento, CA

$361 12% 58.3% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Sacramento, CA

$149 5% 5.6% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Sacramento, CA

$66 2.2% 10.7% $7.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Sacramento, CA

$124 4.1% 156% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,986 in Sacramento, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sacramento, CA pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $100 in Sacramento, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $463 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Sacramento, CA

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

23:32 11:32 PM

9 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

524,943

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Sacramento, CA 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sacramento, CA

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

Barcelona vs Sacramento, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $3,000 in Sacramento, CA, so Barcelona is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,986 in Sacramento, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,532 in Sacramento, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Sacramento, CA. 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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Sacramento, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.