Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, CA and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, CA and Barcelona

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz, CA is 25.4% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 81.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 35.6% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 70.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Cruz, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.44 $22.44
$17.41 €15.03
28.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.7 $79.7
$68.7 €59.3
16.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.36 $12.36
$13.71 €11.84
-9.85%
Cappuccino
$5.85 $5.85
$2.78 €2.4
110.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 $3.41
$2.8 €2.42
21.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 $2.54
$1.98 €1.71
28.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.93 $6.93
$4.43 €3.83
56.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.46 $7.46
$4.53 €3.91
64.68%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Cruz, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 $1.43
$1.24 €1.07
15.32%
White Bread (500g)
$5.16 $5.16
$2.03 €1.75
154.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.65 $6.65
$1.98 €1.71
235.86%
Eggs
$5.96 $5.96
$3.46 €2.99
72.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$23.24 $23.24
$18.32 €15.82
26.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.85 $14.85
$9.82 €8.47
51.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.7 $23.7
$19.24 €16.61
23.18%
Apples (1kg)
$7.05 $7.05
$2.61 €2.25
170.11%
Banana (1kg)
$2.78 $2.78
$2.34 €2.02
18.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.32 $5.32
$2.11 €1.82
152.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.49 $7.49
$2.77 €2.39
170.40%
Potato (1kg)
$3.88 $3.88
$2.04 €1.76
90.20%
Onion (1kg)
$3.93 $3.93
$1.77 €1.53
122.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.9 $2.9
$1.5 €1.3
93.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.86 $2.86
$0.85 €0.73
236.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.16 $14.16
$7 €6.04
102.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.02 $12.02
$7.13 €6.16
68.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.43 €1.24
50.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 $2.67
$2.29 €1.98
16.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Cruz, CA
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.05 $2.05
$3.02 €2.6
-32.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 $65.2
$28.97 €25.01
125.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.09 $4.09
$4.59 €3.96
-10.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 $1.93
$2.02 €1.74
-4.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$38.9 $38.9
$29.56 €25.53
31.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.81 €1.56
-31.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.9K $34.9K
$38.4K €33.1K
-9.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K $26.5K
$32.4K €28K
-18.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Cruz, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$221 $221
$190 €164
16.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$47.05 $47.05
$22.18 €19.15
112.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.8 $67.8
$36.37 €31.4
86.47%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Cruz, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.2 $60.2
$57.4 €49.55
4.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$20.95 €18.09
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.04 $17.04
$10.8 €9.33
57.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Cruz, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,225 $3,225
$732 €632
340.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$38.5K $38.5K
$15.1K €13.1K
154.30%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Cruz, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.2 $63.2
$86.8 €74.9
-27.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.64 $46.64
$36.78 €31.76
26.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 $79.3
$102 €88.2
-22.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 $115
$117 €101
-1.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Cruz, CA
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,893 $2,893
$1,581 €1,365
83.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,648 $2,648
$1,230 €1,062
115.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,700 $5,700
$2,707 €2,337
110.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,219 $4,219
$2,028 €1,751
108.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,235 $9,235
$6,602 €5,700
39.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,116 $8,116
$5,045 €4,356
60.87%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Santa Cruz, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,594 $5,594
$2,198 €1,898
154.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.36
3.39
87.61%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: October 27, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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