Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Valencia

For one person, living costs are similar in San Sebastian and in Valencia: $2,066 and $2,092 a month, rent and utilities included.

100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
Learn more

San Sebastian Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Valencia
Learn more

Valencia Living Index

Jump to prices

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Valencia

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Sebastian and in Valencia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,066 in San Sebastian versus $2,092 in Valencia.

San Sebastian $2,066
Valencia $2,092

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,076 in San Sebastian versus $3,017 in Valencia.

San Sebastian $3,076
Valencia $3,017

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in San Sebastian versus $3,942 in Valencia.

San Sebastian $4,086
Valencia $3,942

Monthly costs are close between San Sebastian and Valencia; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Sebastian 52% above, Valencia 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.85 €16.88

$18.72 €16.77

0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 €55.5

$66.0 €59.1

-6.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 €9.65

$12.11 €10.84

-10.98%

Cappuccino

$2.31 €2.07

$2.72 €2.43

-15.07%

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

$2.84 €2.54

$2.49 €2.23

14.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$2.09 €1.87

-22.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.94

$3.32 €2.97

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.31

$4.58 €4.10

-19.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.20 €1.08

-1.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.35 €1.21

-17.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.78 €1.59

3.37%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.24

$3.40 €3.04

6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.61 €20.25

$10.72 €9.60

110.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.08

$7.76 €6.95

1.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.49

$15.88 €14.22

30.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.46 €2.20

1.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.89 €1.69

46.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.96

$1.83 €1.64

80.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.62

$2.66 €2.38

9.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$1.69 €1.52

53.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.86 €1.67

9.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.15 €1.03

3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.80 €0.71

28.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.08

$6.69 €5.99

1.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.59

$5.64 €5.05

30.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.34 €1.20

28.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.64 €1.47

7.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.18 €1.95

-0.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.69 €30.17

$38.70 €34.66

-12.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 €6.11

$4.48 €4.02

52.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.28 €1.15

-30.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.77

$23.48 €21.03

-6.01%

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

$33.8K €30.3K

4.18%

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

$31.0K €27.8K

$31.3K €28.1K

-0.96%

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

$136 €122

$155 €139

-12.14%

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

$25.48 €22.82

$15.96 €14.30

59.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.61 €31.89

$33.43 €29.94

6.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.24 €37.83

$40.25 €36.05

4.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.45

$8.70 €7.79

124.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 €7.62

$10.80 €9.67

-21.20%

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

$454 €406

$573 €513

-20.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.5K

$9,639 €8,633

45.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$93.3 €83.5

7.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.72 €29.31

$42.41 €37.98

-22.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 €66.4

$95.8 €85.8

-22.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €119

$116 €104

14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 €1,316

$1,468 €1,315

0.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 €917

$1,095 €981

-6.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,371 €2,123

$2,331 €2,088

1.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 €1,497

$1,653 €1,481

1.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,813 €8,789

$5,549 €4,969

76.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,360 €4,800

$3,319 €2,972

61.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,011 €2,696

$1,854 €1,660

62.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

3.41

-14.37%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: October 26, 2026

Last update for Valencia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6%

Valencia

$1.1K 52.4% 7% $72

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$327 15.8%

Valencia

$253 12.1% 22.5% $74

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$253 12.2%

Valencia

$263 12.6% 4.1% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$197 9.5%

Valencia

$204 9.8% 3.6% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$153 7.4%

Valencia

$156 7.5% 2.2% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 2.9%

Valencia

$62 3% 4.4% $2.6

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$54 2.6%

Valencia

$58 2.8% 8.8% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,470 in San Sebastian and $1,468 in Valencia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $62 in San Sebastian vs $66 in Valencia. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $253, with Valencia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Valencia

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

Same time as San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

807,693

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Sebastian Valencia 450 km

From you

San Sebastian
Valencia

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 Valencia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 62% 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 $1,468 in Valencia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $454 in San Sebastian versus $573 in Valencia. 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 $66 in Valencia. 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 Valencia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.