Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sète

For one person, living is cheaper in Sète: $1,757 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Sète
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Sète Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Sète

🇫🇷 France

$1,757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sète

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,757 in Sète.

Barcelona $2,381
Sète $1,757

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,697 in Sète.

Barcelona $3,406
Sète $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,638 in Sète.

Barcelona $4,431
Sète $3,638

Living in Barcelona is roughly 35% more expensive than in Sète, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Sète 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.95

$16.85 €15.02

6.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$56.8 €50.6

16.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.20

$13.21 €11.78

3.63%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.73

$3.37 €3.00

-9.20%

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

$3.07 €2.74

$2.31 €2.06

32.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.59 €1.42

22.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.45

$5.43 €4.84

-28.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.11

$4.33 €3.86

6.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.29 €1.15

0.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.68 €1.50

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.51 €2.23

-27.09%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.12

$3.72 €3.31

24.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.47

$18.68 €16.65

-7.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.27

$10.79 €9.62

-13.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.68

$18.54 €16.53

6.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.69

$2.78 €2.48

8.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.16 €1.92

-6.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.96 €2.64

-10.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$2.55 €2.27

12.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.43 €2.17

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.43 €2.17

-11.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.44 €1.29

2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.64 €0.57

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.17

$13.85 €12.34

-49.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.98

$7.64 €6.81

2.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.63 €3.24

-61.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.73 €2.43

-3.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.84 €1.64

58.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.69

$47.28 €42.14

-46.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.67

$3.10 €2.77

-3.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.70 €1.51

-15.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.59

$29.83 €26.59

11.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.19 €1.95

-15.07%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$34.5K €30.7K

-6.25%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$35.3K €31.4K

-10.07%

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

$183 €163

$223 €198

-17.92%

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

$13.61 €12.13

$14.66 €13.07

-7.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.35

$32.55 €29.01

1.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.75

$34.90 €31.11

56.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.73

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €10.01

$14.17 €12.63

-20.75%

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

$954 €850

$594 €529

60.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,384 €6,582

124.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.7

$88.4 €78.8

-2.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.86

$42.37 €37.77

-7.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$91.1 €81.2

13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$128 €114

-7.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,511

$743 €662

128.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,137

$598 €533

113.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,296

$1,407 €1,254

83.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,713

$1,137 €1,014

69.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,490

$3,943 €3,514

84.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,465

$2,937 €2,617

70.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,985

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.81

-13.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sète: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Sète

$598 34% 53.2% $678

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Sète

$336 19.1% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Sète

$266 15.2% 1.2% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Sète

$270 15.4% 17.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Sète

$157 9% 0.7% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Sète

$63 3.6% 18% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Sète

$66 3.8% 40.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $743 in Sète. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Barcelona vs $57 in Sète. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $336, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Sète

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

44,712

💱 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 Sète 260 km

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 Sète: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sète differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,757 including rent). Sète is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $2,636 in Sète to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $743 in Sète. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $594 in Sète. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 3% 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 Sète are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.