Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sintra

For one person, living is cheaper in Sintra: $1,605 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
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Sintra Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sintra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,605 in Sintra.

Barcelona $2,453
Sintra $1,605

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,322 in Sintra.

Barcelona $3,509
Sintra $2,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,039 in Sintra.

Barcelona $4,564
Sintra $3,039

Living in Barcelona is roughly 53% more expensive than in Sintra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Sintra 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.71

$12.67 €11.31

38.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$55.3 €49.39

22.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.08

$8.68 €7.75

55.88%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$1.27 €1.13

151.18%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.49 €1.33

95.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.16 €1.03

62.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$3.28 €2.93

22.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.05

$2.85 €2.54

58.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.03 €0.92

27.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.21 €1.08

66.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.37 €1.22

35.04%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.32

$2.58 €2.31

87.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.95

$9.01 €8.04

85.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$6.77 €6.05

34.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.54

$10.97 €9.80

79.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$1.83 €1.64

62.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.23 €1.09

64.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.35 €1.21

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.23 €1.99

25.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.28 €1.14

63.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.71 €1.52

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.61 €1.43

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.68 €0.60

38.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.14

$6.02 €5.38

14.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$3.31 €2.96

138.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.24 €1.10

13.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.45 €1.30

75.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.81

$2.19 €1.95

43.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.73

$39.74 €35.49

-35.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$3.55 €3.17

-15.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.52 €0.46

186.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.81

$16.24 €14.50

105.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.18 €1.95

-17.43%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$33.1K €29.6K

0.29%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$38.2K €34.1K

-17.09%

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

$180 €161

$128 €115

40.63%

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

$13.84 €12.36

$21.53 €19.23

-35.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.10

$44.17 €39.45

-23.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.01

$39.29 €35.10

31.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.26

$16.93 €15.12

-5.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.82

$8.51 €7.60

29.14%

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

$917 €819

$622 €555

47.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$6,096 €5,445

170.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$76.6 €68.5

13.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.39

$43.90 €39.22

-12.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$105 €93.9

0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$51.3 €45.81

133.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,518

$978 €874

73.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,211

$798 €713

69.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,325

$1,639 €1,464

58.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,842

$1,192 €1,065

72.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,176

$3,116 €2,784

121.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,580

$2,283 €2,039

124.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,975

$1,366 €1,220

61.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.54

-7.34%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sintra: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Sintra

$798 49.7% 41.1% $557

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Sintra

$203 12.6% 37.1% $119

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Sintra

$175 10.9% 34.6% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Sintra

$194 12.1% 14.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Sintra

$125 7.8% 21.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Sintra

$56 3.5% 23.4% $17

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Sintra

$55 3.4% 12.7% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $978 in Sintra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $55 in Sintra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $203 per month, with Sintra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇹 Sintra

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

385,654

💱 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 Sintra 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sintra

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 Sintra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,605 in Sintra, so Sintra is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $978 in Sintra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $622 in Sintra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Sintra are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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