Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Saint-Denis

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Denis: $1,800 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Denis
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Saint-Denis Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Saint-Denis

🇷🇪 Reunion

$1,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Saint-Denis

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 Saint-Denis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,800 in Saint-Denis.

Barcelona $2,405
Saint-Denis $1,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $3,171 in Saint-Denis.

Barcelona $3,477
Saint-Denis $3,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $4,543 in Saint-Denis.

Barcelona $4,550
Saint-Denis $4,543

Living in Barcelona is roughly 34% more expensive than in Saint-Denis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Saint-Denis 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$13.56 €12.10

32.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$79.0 €70.5

-14.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$15.63 €13.95

-14.46%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$3.54 €3.16

-5.65%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$2.58 €2.31

14.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.50 €2.23

-24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$3.44 €3.07

12.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$4.65 €4.15

-1.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.70 €1.52

-25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.96 €2.64

-40.88%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$4.51 €4.03

8.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$20.10 €17.94

-13.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$13.24 €11.81

-31.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$33.24 €29.66

-39.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$5.45 €4.87

-50.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$4.51 €4.02

-51.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$2.30 €2.05

-33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.90 €1.70

-51.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$11.39 €10.17

-37.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$12.55 €11.20

-39.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$3.30 €2.94

-54.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.41 €3.04

-19.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$2.54 €2.26

16.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$43.40 €38.73

-40.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.87 €1.67

-4.28%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

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

$30.3K €27.0K

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

$181 €161

$146 €130

23.81%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$17.61 €15.72

-23.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$43.07 €38.44

-18.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$36.35 €32.44

46.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$13.43 €11.98

19.51%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$11.11 €9.91

2.34%

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

$939 €838

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$148 €132

-40.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$125 €112

-17.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$114 €102

4.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$918 €820

84.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$657 €586

98.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$1,534 €1,369

67.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$1,951 €1,741

-0.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$2,054 €1,833

11.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Saint-Denis: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Saint-Denis

$657 36.8% 49.5% $644

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Saint-Denis

$390 * 21.9% 20% $65

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Saint-Denis

$245 13.7% 10% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Saint-Denis

$207 11.6% 9.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Saint-Denis

$174 * 9.8% 10.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Saint-Denis

$59 3.3% 22.8% $17

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Saint-Denis

$54 * 3% 11.3% $5.4

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 $1,695 in Barcelona and $918 in Saint-Denis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 12% 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: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $79.0 in Saint-Denis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $390 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇪 Saint-Denis

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

17:55 5:55 PM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

154,765 Capital

💱 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

Barcelona Saint-Denis 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Saint-Denis

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 Saint-Denis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Saint-Denis differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,800 including rent). Saint-Denis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% 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 $918 in Saint-Denis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint-Denis – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $67.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Saint-Denis runs roughly 68% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,800 in Saint-Denis versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Saint-Denis but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Saint-Denis 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 Saint-Denis 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 Saint-Denis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.