Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz do Sul and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $866 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
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Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$866

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz do Sul 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 Santa Cruz do Sul and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Santa Cruz do Sul $866
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,393 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,393
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,919 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,919
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Santa Cruz do Sul costs roughly 65% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz do Sul is 36% below, Barcelona is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 R$30.01

$17.66 €15.79

-68.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.04 R$197

$67.5 €60.3

-46.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 R$34.41

$13.61 €12.17

-53.71%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R$12.70

$3.10 €2.77

-24.84%

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

$1.24 R$6.77

$3.00 €2.68

-58.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 R$5.59

$1.93 €1.72

-47.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R$12.27

$3.84 €3.44

-41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 R$14.77

$4.36 €3.90

-38.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.94

$1.25 €1.11

-27.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$8.34

$2.12 €1.90

-27.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.36

$1.97 €1.76

-50.25%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.05

$4.76 €4.26

-53.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 R$54.0

$17.07 €15.26

-42.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 R$23.89

$8.96 €8.01

-51.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 R$49.69

$20.65 €18.46

-55.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 R$12.19

$3.16 €2.83

-29.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.40

$1.97 €1.76

-31.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.80

$2.65 €2.37

-53.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 R$8.06

$2.88 €2.58

-48.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.04

$2.06 €1.84

-46.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.50

$2.18 €1.95

-53.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 R$4.32

$1.53 €1.37

-48.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 R$4.01

$0.97 €0.87

-23.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 R$12.45

$6.97 €6.23

-67.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 R$40.08

$7.89 €7.05

-6.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.95

$1.42 €1.27

-23.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R$10.86

$2.69 €2.40

-26.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.14

$3.31 €2.96

-71.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.90

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$7.20

$3.08 €2.76

-57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$4.01

$1.48 €1.33

-50.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.69 R$41.99

$32.87 €29.40

-76.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.68

$1.87 €1.67

-34.76%

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

$21.7K R$118.5K

$33.0K €29.5K

-34.18%

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

$32.3K R$176.2K

$31.9K €28.6K

1.01%

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

$72.7 R$397

$183 €164

-60.22%

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

$11.41 R$62.3

$14.24 €12.73

-19.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.47 R$112

$34.56 €30.91

-40.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.21 R$143

$51.4 €45.98

-49.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.65

Cinema Ticket

$6.74 R$36.79

$11.06 €9.89

-39.06%

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

$520 R$2,839

$944 €844

-44.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K R$124.8K

$22.3K €19.9K

2.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 R$252

$87.7 €78.4

-47.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 R$290

$38.77 €34.67

36.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 R$514

$105 €93.5

-9.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 R$400

$118 €105

-37.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 R$2,863

$1,697 €1,517

-69.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 R$1,571

$1,337 €1,195

-78.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 R$4,861

$2,692 €2,407

-66.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 R$3,225

$2,077 €1,857

-71.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,398

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,542

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$372 R$2,029

$2,241 €2,004

-83.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

3.19

260.50%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 31, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz do Sul

$288 33.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 365% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz do Sul

$189 21.8%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 73.4% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz do Sul

$120 13.9%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 30.7% $37

Eating Out

Santa Cruz do Sul

$116 13.5%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 129% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz do Sul

$105 12.1%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 122% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz do Sul

$40 4.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 85.3% $34

Getting Around

Santa Cruz do Sul

$8.8 * 1%

Barcelona

$49 2% 464% $41

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 $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $328 per month, with Santa Cruz do Sul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

4 h ahead of Santa Cruz do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,246

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz do Sul Barcelona 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz do Sul
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

Santa Cruz do Sul vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Santa Cruz do Sul is about 65% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Santa Cruz do Sul. 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: $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $520 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul – a meal for two runs $36 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz do Sul but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz do Sul 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.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Cruz do Sul wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.