Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Seine-Saint-Denis

For one person, living is cheaper in Seine-Saint-Denis: $1,904 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
90

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

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Seine-Saint-Denis

🇫🇷 France

$1,904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,904 in Seine-Saint-Denis.

Barcelona $2,443
Seine-Saint-Denis $1,904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,808 in Seine-Saint-Denis.

Barcelona $3,519
Seine-Saint-Denis $2,808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,712 in Seine-Saint-Denis.

Barcelona $4,595
Seine-Saint-Denis $3,712

Living in Barcelona is roughly 28% more expensive than in Seine-Saint-Denis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Seine-Saint-Denis 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.80

$11.26 €10.08

56.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.4

$39.27 €35.14

71.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.18

$11.27 €10.09

20.76%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$5.23 €4.68

-40.73%

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

$3.00 €2.69

$4.83 €4.33

-37.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.56 €2.29

-24.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$7.80 €6.98

-50.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$6.88 €6.15

-36.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.51 €1.35

-17.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.58 €2.31

-17.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.70 €2.42

-27.04%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$3.26 €2.92

46.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.27

$22.40 €20.04

-23.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$11.12 €9.95

-19.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.48

$19.04 €17.04

8.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$3.29 €2.94

-3.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.73 €1.55

13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.92 €2.61

-9.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$2.22 €1.99

29.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.84 €1.64

11.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.56 €2.29

-14.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.09 €0.98

40.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.84 €0.75

15.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$14.26 €12.76

-51.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$9.03 €8.08

-12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.60 €2.33

-45.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.48 €3.11

-22.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$1.95 €1.75

69.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.91

$48.04 €42.99

-46.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$6.51 €5.83

-52.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.42 €1.27

4.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.42

$46.33 €41.46

-29.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.30 €2.06

-18.70%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$34.0K €30.4K

-3.05%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$37.1K €33.2K

-13.96%

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

$183 €164

$245 €219

-25.35%

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

$14.24 €12.74

$15.67 €14.02

-9.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.93

$29.48 €26.38

17.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €46.01

$35.39 €31.67

45.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.66

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.90

$15.42 €13.80

-28.27%

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

$944 €844

$806 €721

17.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$11.1K €9,955

100.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.5

$115 €103

-23.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.70

$50.3 €44.98

-22.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

$119 €106

-11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$159 €143

-26.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,518

$750 €671

126.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,196

$653 €584

104.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,409

$1,479 €1,324

82.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,858

$1,138 €1,018

82.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,402

$4,826 €4,319

48.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,545

$2,818 €2,522

80.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,006

$2,108 €1,886

6.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.45

-7.54%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Seine-Saint-Denis: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$653 34.3% 51.2% $684

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$357 18.8% 9% $30

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$269 14.1% 0.8% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$290 15.2% 25.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$200 10.5% 27.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$66 3.5% 9.9% $7.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$69 3.7% 40.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $750 in Seine-Saint-Denis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 6% 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 in Barcelona vs $39 in Seine-Saint-Denis. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $357, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Seine-Saint-Denis

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

6,073

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Seine-Saint-Denis 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Seine-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 Seine-Saint-Denis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,904 in Seine-Saint-Denis, so Seine-Saint-Denis is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $750 in Seine-Saint-Denis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $806 in Seine-Saint-Denis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 Seine-Saint-Denis are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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