Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in San Sebastian: $2,066 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,066 in San Sebastian versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

San Sebastian $2,066
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,076 in San Sebastian versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

San Sebastian $3,076
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in San Sebastian versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

San Sebastian $4,086
Barcelona $4,564

Living in San Sebastian costs roughly 16% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Sebastian 52% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.85 €16.88

$17.59 €15.75

7.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 €55.5

$67.5 €60.5

-8.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 €9.65

$13.53 €12.12

-20.33%

Cappuccino

$2.31 €2.07

$3.19 €2.86

-27.59%

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

$2.84 €2.54

$2.91 €2.61

-2.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.89 €1.70

-13.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.94

$4.01 €3.59

-18.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.31

$4.53 €4.06

-18.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.31 €1.17

-9.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.01

$2.02 €1.81

-44.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.85 €1.66

-0.54%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.24

$4.83 €4.33

-25.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.61 €20.25

$16.74 €14.99

35.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.08

$9.12 €8.17

-13.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.49

$19.64 €17.59

5.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.98 €2.67

-16.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.02 €1.81

36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.96

$2.70 €2.42

22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.62

$2.80 €2.51

4.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.09 €1.87

24.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.07 €1.85

-1.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.46 €1.31

-18.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.94 €0.84

9.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.08

$6.87 €6.15

-1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.59

$7.89 €7.06

-6.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.41 €1.26

21.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.54 €2.27

-30.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 €1.93

$3.14 €2.82

-31.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.69 €30.17

$25.45 €22.79

32.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 €6.11

$2.99 €2.68

128.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.49 €1.34

-40.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.77

$33.37 €29.89

-33.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.80 €1.61

-5.56%

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

$35.2K €31.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

6.07%

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

$31.0K €27.8K

$31.7K €28.4K

-2.13%

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

$136 €122

$180 €162

-24.65%

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

$25.48 €22.82

$13.84 €12.39

84.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.61 €31.89

$33.70 €30.18

5.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.24 €37.83

$51.5 €46.13

-18.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.45

$15.96 €14.29

22.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 €7.62

$10.99 €9.85

-22.57%

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

$454 €406

$917 €821

-50.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.5K

$16.5K €14.8K

-15.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$87.0 €77.9

15.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.72 €29.31

$38.51 €34.49

-15.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 €66.4

$106 €94.8

-29.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €119

$120 €107

10.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 €1,316

$1,699 €1,522

-13.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 €917

$1,355 €1,214

-24.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,371 €2,123

$2,603 €2,331

-8.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 €1,497

$2,062 €1,847

-18.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,813 €8,789

$6,915 €6,193

41.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,360 €4,800

$5,128 €4,592

4.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,011 €2,696

$2,211 €1,980

36.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

3.28

-10.98%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 32.4% $332

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$327 15.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 1.6% $5.1

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$253 12.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 6.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$197 9.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 15.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$153 7.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 3.3% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 2.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 24.1% $14

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$54 2.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 9.5% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,470 in San Sebastian and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in San Sebastian vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

Same time as San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

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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From you

San Sebastian
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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

San Sebastian vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,066 in San Sebastian and $2,453 in Barcelona, so San Sebastian is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% higher in San Sebastian, 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: $1,470 in San Sebastian versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $454 in San Sebastian versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Sebastian – a meal for two runs $62 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. San Sebastian 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, San Sebastian and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.