Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valencia and San Sebastian

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

100

Cost of Living Index in Valencia
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Valencia Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index

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Valencia

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,092

/mo nomad

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Valencia and in San Sebastian actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Valencia $2,092
San Sebastian $2,066

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

Valencia $3,017
San Sebastian $3,076

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

Valencia $3,942
San Sebastian $4,086

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.72 €16.78

$18.85 €16.89

-0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €59.1

$61.9 €55.5

6.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.11 €10.85

$10.78 €9.66

12.34%

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.43

$2.31 €2.07

17.75%

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

$2.49 €2.23

$2.84 €2.54

-12.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.63 €1.46

28.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.97

$3.28 €2.94

1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €4.11

$3.70 €3.31

23.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.18 €1.06

1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.12 €1.01

20.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.84 €1.65

-3.26%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.05

$3.62 €3.24

-6.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 €9.61

$22.61 €20.26

-52.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 €6.95

$7.91 €7.08

-1.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.88 €14.23

$20.65 €18.50

-23.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$2.50 €2.24

-1.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.76 €2.48

-31.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$3.30 €2.96

-44.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.39

$2.92 €2.62

-8.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.52

$2.60 €2.33

-35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.03 €1.81

-8.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.19 €1.07

-3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$1.03 €0.92

-22.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €6.00

$6.79 €6.09

-1.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.05

$7.36 €6.59

-23.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.72 €1.54

-22.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.77 €1.58

-7.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.16 €1.94

0.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.70 €34.68

$33.69 €30.19

14.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €4.02

$6.82 €6.11

-34.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 €1.15

$0.89 €0.79

43.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.48 €21.04

$22.07 €19.78

6.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.70 €1.52

5.88%

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

$33.8K €30.3K

$35.2K €31.5K

-4.01%

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

$31.3K €28.1K

$31.0K €27.8K

0.97%

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

$155 €139

$136 €122

13.82%

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

$15.96 €14.30

$25.48 €22.84

-37.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.43 €29.95

$35.61 €31.91

-6.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.25 €36.07

$42.24 €37.85

-4.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.70 €7.80

$19.49 €17.46

-55.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 €9.68

$8.51 €7.62

26.91%

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

$573 €513

$454 €406

26.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,639 €8,637

$14.0K €12.5K

-31.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.6

$101 €90.1

-7.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.41 €38.00

$32.72 €29.32

29.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 €85.9

$74.2 €66.5

29.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$132 €119

-12.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,316

$1,470 €1,317

-0.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 €981

$1,024 €917

6.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,331 €2,089

$2,371 €2,124

-1.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,482

$1,671 €1,498

-1.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,549 €4,972

$9,813 €8,794

-43.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,319 €2,974

$5,360 €4,803

-38.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,854 €1,661

$3,011 €2,698

-38.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.41

2.92

16.78%

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

Last update for Valencia: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Sebastian: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valencia

$1.1K 52.4%

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6% 6.5% $72

Eating Out

Valencia

$263 12.6%

San Sebastian

$253 12.2% 3.9% $10

Groceries & Markets

Valencia

$253 12.1%

San Sebastian

$327 15.8% 29.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valencia

$204 9.8%

San Sebastian

$197 9.5% 3.5% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Valencia

$156 7.5%

San Sebastian

$153 7.4% 2.2% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Valencia

$62 3%

San Sebastian

$59 2.9% 4.2% $2.6

Getting Around

Valencia

$58 2.8%

San Sebastian

$54 2.6% 8.1% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,468 in Valencia and $1,470 in San Sebastian. 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: $66 in Valencia vs $62 in San Sebastian. Groceries flip the comparison at $253 vs $327, with Valencia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Valencia

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

Same time as Valencia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

807,693

188,743

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Valencia San Sebastian 450 km

From you

Valencia
San Sebastian

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

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

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Valencia. 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: $1,468 in Valencia versus $1,470 in San Sebastian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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