Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sarcelles

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarcelles: $1,788 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Sarcelles
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Sarcelles Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Sarcelles

🇫🇷 France

$1,788

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sarcelles

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,788 in Sarcelles.

Barcelona $2,381
Sarcelles $1,788

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,776 in Sarcelles.

Barcelona $3,406
Sarcelles $2,776

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,763 in Sarcelles.

Barcelona $4,431
Sarcelles $3,763

Living in Barcelona is roughly 33% more expensive than in Sarcelles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Sarcelles 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$16.56 €14.73

8.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$66.9 €59.5

-1.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$13.48 €11.99

1.56%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.76 €3.34

-18.62%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.02 €2.69

1.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.81 €1.61

7.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$7.41 €6.60

-47.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.73 €5.10

-19.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.92 €1.71

9.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.50 €2.23

-26.80%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.20 €3.74

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$19.16 €17.04

-9.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$12.10 €10.76

-23.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$22.16 €19.71

-10.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.99 €2.66

0.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.18 €1.94

-6.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.94 €2.61

-9.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.15 €2.80

-8.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.85 €1.65

16.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.22 €1.97

-3.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.44 €1.28

2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.74 €0.66

18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$13.53 €12.03

-48.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.98 €7.10

-1.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.70 €2.40

-48.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.44 €3.06

-23.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.92 €1.71

51.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$48.56 €43.20

-47.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$5.16 €4.59

-41.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.06 €1.83

-30.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$32.67 €29.06

1.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.16 €1.92

-13.89%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$34.7K €30.8K

-6.71%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$35.4K €31.5K

-10.49%

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

$183 €163

$205 €182

-10.73%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$15.51 €13.80

-12.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$31.17 €27.72

5.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$36.09 €32.11

51.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$13.47 €11.98

-16.63%

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

$954 €849

$784 €697

21.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$10.3K €9,135

61.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$91.2 €81.1

-5.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$41.09 €36.55

-4.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$101 €90.1

2.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$132 €118

-10.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$758 €674

123.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$592 €526

115.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,388 €1,234

85.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,107 €985

73.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,920 €3,487

85.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,939 €2,614

70.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,231 €1,984

-0.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.79

-13.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sarcelles: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Sarcelles

$592 33.1% 53.6% $685

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Sarcelles

$360 20.1% 10.7% $35

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Sarcelles

$286 16% 6.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Sarcelles

$251 14.1% 9.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Sarcelles

$165 9.2% 5.2% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Sarcelles

$63 3.5% 18.3% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Sarcelles

$72 4% 51.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $758 in Sarcelles. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarcelles pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $67.0 in Sarcelles for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $360 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Sarcelles

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

58,424

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Sarcelles 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Sarcelles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sarcelles differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,788 including rent). Sarcelles is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Sarcelles. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $758 in Sarcelles. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $784 in Sarcelles. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,788 in Sarcelles versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sarcelles but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sarcelles 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 Sarcelles 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 Sarcelles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.