Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sacramento, CA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,000 in Sacramento, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Sacramento, CA
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Sacramento, CA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Sacramento, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,000

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sacramento, CA and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sacramento, CA and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,000 in Sacramento, CA versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Sacramento, CA $3,000
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,471 in Sacramento, CA versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Sacramento, CA $4,471
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,943 in Sacramento, CA versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Sacramento, CA $5,943
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Sacramento, CA is roughly 22% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sacramento, CA 120% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.12 $21.12

$17.59 €15.76

20.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$67.5 €60.5

47.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.26 $12.26

$13.53 €12.12

-9.39%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$3.19 €2.86

62.70%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$2.91 €2.61

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.89 €1.70

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$4.01 €3.59

95.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$4.53 €4.06

72.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.31 €1.17

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.02 €1.81

105.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.85 €1.66

148.11%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$4.83 €4.33

21.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.16 $15.16

$16.74 €15.00

-9.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.14 $15.14

$9.12 €8.17

66.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$19.64 €17.60

-5.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.98 €2.67

67.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.02 €1.81

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.70 €2.42

63.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.80 €2.51

102.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.09 €1.87

75.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.07 €1.85

59.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.46 €1.31

64.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$0.94 €0.84

177.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.83 $11.83

$6.87 €6.16

72.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 $14.21

$7.89 €7.07

80.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.41 €1.26

83.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.54 €2.27

43.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.14 €2.82

-18.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100.0 $100.0

$25.45 €22.80

292.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.99 €2.68

35.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.49 €1.34

28.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.35 $25.35

$33.37 €29.91

-24.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.80 €1.61

-10.00%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

4.03%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$31.7K €28.4K

-15.92%

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

$231 $231

$180 €162

27.95%

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

$61.0 $61.0

$13.84 €12.40

340.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$33.70 €30.20

104.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.12 $31.12

$51.5 €46.16

-39.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.69 $40.69

$15.96 €14.30

154.95%

Cinema Ticket

$17.25 $17.25

$10.99 €9.85

56.96%

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

$1,532 $1,532

$917 €821

67.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K $19.0K

$16.5K €14.8K

15.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 $60.5

$87.0 €78.0

-30.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.13 $47.13

$38.51 €34.51

22.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$106 €94.8

-12.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$120 €107

9.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,986 $1,986

$1,699 €1,523

16.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 $1,491

$1,355 €1,214

10.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,109 $3,109

$2,603 €2,332

19.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,505 $2,505

$2,062 €1,848

21.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,486 $5,486

$6,915 €6,196

-20.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,428 $3,428

$5,128 €4,595

-33.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,815 $4,815

$2,211 €1,981

117.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

3.28

100.91%

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

Last update for Sacramento, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sacramento, CA

$1.5K 49.7%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 9.1% $136

Groceries & Markets

Sacramento, CA

$463 15.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 30.5% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sacramento, CA

$361 12%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 36.8% $133

Eating Out

Sacramento, CA

$346 11.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 22.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Sacramento, CA

$149 5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 5.9% $8.8

Getting Around

Sacramento, CA

$124 4.1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 60.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Sacramento, CA

$66 2.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 12% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,986 in Sacramento, CA and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sacramento, CA pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Sacramento, CA vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $463 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sacramento, CA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

06:55 6:55 AM

9 h ahead of Sacramento, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

524,943

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sacramento, CA Barcelona 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Sacramento, CA
Barcelona

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

Sacramento, CA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,000 in Sacramento, CA and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sacramento, CA is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $1,986 in Sacramento, CA versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,532 in Sacramento, CA versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Sacramento, CA. 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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Sacramento, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.