Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Simpson Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,879 in Simpson Bay, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Simpson Bay

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Simpson Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $3,879 in Simpson Bay.

Barcelona $2,399
Simpson Bay $3,879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $6,586 in Simpson Bay.

Barcelona $3,410
Simpson Bay $6,586

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $9,293 in Simpson Bay.

Barcelona $4,421
Simpson Bay $9,293

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 38% less than in Simpson Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Simpson Bay 187% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$19.30 ANG 34.54

-7.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$132 ANG 236

-48.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$13.10 ANG 23.44

1.37%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.45 ANG 7.96

-26.97%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.96 ANG 5.29

1.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.92 ANG 5.23

-35.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.45 ANG 9.76

-29.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.12 ANG 7.37

8.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$4.09 ANG 7.32

-68.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.75 ANG 4.92

-25.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.93 ANG 5.25

-41.30%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.50 ANG 8.06

6.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$24.59 ANG 44.02

-31.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$13.46 ANG 24.10

-33.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$17.21 ANG 30.80

15.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$4.28 ANG 7.65

-30.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$3.51 ANG 6.29

-42.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$6.55 ANG 11.72

-58.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$5.07 ANG 9.08

-47.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.02 ANG 7.20

-47.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.51 ANG 6.29

-40.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.92 ANG 5.23

-50.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.44 ANG 2.58

-38.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$14.87 ANG 26.62

-47.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.70 ANG 3.05

51.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.05 ANG 5.45

-1.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$15.20 ANG 27.21

-79.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.31 ANG 2.34

36.64%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

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

$30.1K €26.7K

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

$178 €158

$506 ANG 906

-64.86%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$34.60 ANG 61.9

-61.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$88.9 ANG 159

-60.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$75.5 ANG 135

-29.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$7.97 ANG 14.27

38.77%

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

$957 €851

$753 ANG 1,348

27.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$11.9K ANG 21.3K

38.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$49.79 ANG 89.1

77.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$39.25 ANG 70.3

0.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$101 ANG 181

1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$59.8 ANG 107

103.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$2,321 ANG 4,155

-28.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$2,246 ANG 4,020

-42.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$5,924 ANG 10.6K

-56.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$5,759 ANG 10.3K

-66.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

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 11, 2026

Last update for Simpson Bay: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Simpson Bay

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Simpson Bay

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Simpson Bay

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Simpson Bay

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Simpson Bay

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Simpson Bay

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Simpson Bay

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $2,321 in Simpson Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $132 in Simpson Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $466 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇽 Simpson Bay

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

19:47 7:47 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

6,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Simpson Bay 6,650 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Simpson Bay

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 Simpson Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Simpson Bay differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $3,879 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,599 in Barcelona and $5,818 in Simpson Bay 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $2,321 in Simpson Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $753 in Simpson Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $132 in Simpson Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Simpson Bay 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Simpson Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.