Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sintra and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Sintra: $1,593 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
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Sintra Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,593

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,593 in Sintra versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Sintra $1,593
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,321 in Sintra versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Sintra $2,321
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,048 in Sintra versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Sintra $3,048
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Sintra costs roughly 35% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sintra 18% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.76 €11.38

$17.66 €15.75

-27.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €49.05

$67.5 €60.2

-18.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 €7.75

$13.61 €12.14

-36.22%

Cappuccino

$1.34 €1.19

$3.10 €2.77

-56.77%

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

$1.55 €1.38

$3.00 €2.68

-48.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.93 €1.72

-38.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.05

$3.84 €3.43

-10.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.47

$4.36 €3.89

-36.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.25 €1.11

-18.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.12 €1.90

-40.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.97 €1.76

-33.50%

Eggs

$2.71 €2.42

$4.76 €4.25

-43.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 €7.78

$17.07 €15.22

-48.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 €6.24

$8.96 €7.99

-21.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 €9.73

$20.65 €18.42

-47.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$3.16 €2.82

-43.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.97 €1.75

-35.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.65 €2.37

-46.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.88 €2.57

-23.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.06 €1.84

-36.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.18 €1.95

-24.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.53 €1.37

5.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.60

$0.97 €0.87

-30.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.61

$6.97 €6.21

-9.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.43 €3.06

$7.89 €7.04

-56.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.42 €1.26

-7.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.69 €2.40

-48.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.31 €2.95

-33.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.38 €35.12

$25.61 €22.84

53.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 €3.18

$3.08 €2.75

15.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 €0.49

$1.48 €1.32

-63.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.74 €14.93

$32.87 €29.32

-49.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.87 €1.66

16.58%

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

$33.8K €30.2K

$33.0K €29.4K

2.64%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$31.9K €28.5K

20.48%

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

$125 €112

$183 €163

-31.56%

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

$21.41 €19.10

$14.24 €12.70

50.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.38 €39.59

$34.56 €30.83

28.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.60 €36.21

$51.4 €45.87

-21.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.08 €15.23

$16.38 €14.62

4.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 €7.75

$11.06 €9.87

-21.43%

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

$621 €554

$944 €842

-34.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,054 €5,400

$22.3K €19.9K

-72.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 €68.3

$87.7 €78.2

-12.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.72 €39.89

$38.77 €34.59

15.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.0

$105 €93.3

1.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.85 €44.46

$118 €105

-57.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$974 €869

$1,697 €1,514

-42.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 €699

$1,337 €1,192

-41.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 €1,415

$2,692 €2,401

-41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 €1,066

$2,077 €1,853

-42.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,102 €2,767

$7,155 €6,382

-56.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,334 €2,082

$5,079 €4,530

-54.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,320 €1,178

$2,241 €1,999

-41.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

3.19

10.97%

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

Last update for Sintra: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sintra

$783 49.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 70.7% $554

Groceries & Markets

Sintra

$204 12.8%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 60.8% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sintra

$191 12%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 21.3% $41

Eating Out

Sintra

$178 11.2%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 50.2% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Sintra

$125 7.8%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 25.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sintra

$58 3.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 26.9% $16

Getting Around

Sintra

$55 3.4%

Barcelona

$49 2% 9.5% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $974 in Sintra and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 70% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Sintra vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $328 per month, with Sintra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sintra

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

01:28 1:28 AM

1 h ahead of Sintra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,654

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

Sintra Barcelona 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sintra
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

Sintra vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,593 in Sintra and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Sintra is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Sintra. 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: $974 in Sintra versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $621 in Sintra versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Sintra 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, Sintra and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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