Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Denis and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Denis: $1,800 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Denis
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Saint-Denis Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Saint-Denis

🇷🇪 Reunion

$1,800

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,800 in Saint-Denis versus $2,405 in Barcelona.

Saint-Denis $1,800
Barcelona $2,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,171 in Saint-Denis versus $3,477 in Barcelona.

Saint-Denis $3,171
Barcelona $3,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,543 in Saint-Denis versus $4,550 in Barcelona.

Saint-Denis $4,543
Barcelona $4,550

Living in Saint-Denis costs roughly 25% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint-Denis 34% above, Barcelona 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.56 €12.10

$17.98 €16.05

-24.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 €70.5

$67.4 €60.2

17.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.63 €13.95

$13.37 €11.93

16.90%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.16

$3.34 €2.98

5.99%

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

$2.58 €2.31

$2.95 €2.64

-12.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.90 €1.69

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$3.88 €3.46

-11.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 €4.15

$4.57 €4.08

1.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.27 €1.13

33.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$1.75 €1.56

69.14%

Eggs

$4.51 €4.03

$4.89 €4.36

-7.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.10 €17.94

$17.47 €15.59

15.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.24 €11.81

$9.06 €8.09

46.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.24 €29.66

$20.18 €18.01

64.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 €4.87

$2.71 €2.42

101.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

Onion (1kg)

$4.51 €4.02

$2.21 €1.97

104.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.54 €1.38

49.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.93 €0.83

104.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.39 €10.17

$7.09 €6.32

60.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.55 €11.20

$7.63 €6.81

64.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$1.49 €1.33

121.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$2.73 €2.43

24.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.95 €2.63

-13.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.40 €38.73

$25.91 €23.13

67.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.79 €1.60

4.47%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

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

$30.3K €27.0K

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

$146 €130

$181 €161

-19.23%

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

$17.61 €15.72

$13.56 €12.10

29.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.07 €38.44

$35.12 €31.34

22.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.35 €32.44

$53.2 €47.44

-31.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.43 €11.98

$16.05 €14.33

-16.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 €9.91

$11.37 €10.14

-2.29%

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

$939 €838

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 €132

$88.2 €78.7

67.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €112

$103 €92.3

20.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$119 €107

-4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 €820

$1,695 €1,513

-45.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 €586

$1,301 €1,161

-49.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,369

$2,576 €2,299

-40.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,951 €1,741

$1,941 €1,732

0.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,054 €1,833

$2,299 €2,052

-10.65%

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 Saint-Denis: October 5, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Denis

$657 36.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 98% $644

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Denis

$390 * 21.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 16.6% $65

Eating Out

Saint-Denis

$245 13.7%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 11.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Denis

$207 11.6%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 11% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Denis

$174 * 9.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 9.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Denis

$59 3.3%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 29.6% $17

Getting Around

Saint-Denis

$54 * 3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 10.2% $5.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $918 in Saint-Denis and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 12% 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: $79.0 in Saint-Denis vs $67.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇪 Saint-Denis

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

2 h behind Saint-Denis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,765 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Saint-Denis Barcelona 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Denis
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

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

Saint-Denis and Barcelona differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,800 vs $2,405 including rent). Saint-Denis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $918 in Saint-Denis versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint-Denis – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $67.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Saint-Denis runs roughly 68% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,800 in Saint-Denis versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Saint-Denis but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Saint-Denis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Saint-Denis and Barcelona 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 Saint-Denis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.