Barcelona vs San Sebastian
📶
Barcelona has 1x faster internet
🌡️
Temperate vs Oceanic climate
💰 Cost of Living Breakdown
Monthly expenses comparison in USD
Expense
Barcelona
San Sebastian
Total Budget
$2,500/mo
$2,500/mo
Rent (1BR)
$1,100/mo
$1,100/mo
Coworking
$250/mo
$200/mo ✓
Meal Out
$15
$12 ✓
Coffee
$2 ✓
$3
Both cities have similar costs
💻 Remote Work Essentials
Internet, timezone, and language comparison
🇪🇸 Barcelona
📶 Internet200 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+0
🗣️ Englishmedium
🛂 Nomad VisaAvailable
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West3h
🇺🇸 US East6h
🇬🇧 London8h
🇩🇪 Berlin8h
🇪🇸 San Sebastian
📶 Internet150 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+0
🗣️ Englishmedium
🛂 Nomad VisaAvailable
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West3h
🇺🇸 US East6h
🇬🇧 London8h
🇩🇪 Berlin8h
🌡️ Climate Comparison
Weather patterns and best times to visit
Barcelona
ClimateTemperate
Avg Temp17°C
Rainy Days88/year
Best months: June, July, August, September
San Sebastian
ClimateOceanic
Avg Temp15°C
Rainy Days181/year
Quarterly Temperatures
Jan
9°9°
Apr
15°14°
Jul
25°20°
Oct
19°18°
BarcelonaSan Sebastian
📊 Full Comparison
Category
🇪🇸Barcelona
🇪🇸San Sebastian
💰
Monthly Budget
$2,500
$2,500
📶
Internet Speed
200 Mbps
Winner150 Mbps
🛡️
Safety
3.8/5
4.8/5
Winner⭐
Nomad Score
4.5/10
4.3/10
🍽️
Food Scene
9/10
10/10
🎉
Nightlife
9/10
Winner7/10
🚶
Walkability
9/10
9/10
👥
Community
very large
Winnermedium
3
Barcelona wins
vs
1
San Sebastian wins
Which City is Right for You?
Recommendations based on your nomad style
💵Budget Nomad
Either works
Similar costs - choose based on other factors
💻Developer
Barcelona
200 Mbps is essential for video calls & uploads
🦋Social Butterfly
Barcelona
Larger nomad community for networking
🛡️Safety-First
San Sebastian
Significantly higher safety rating
🍜Foodie
Either works
Both have great food scenes
🎉Party Person
Barcelona
World-famous nightlife scene
🇪🇸Barcelona
Pros
- +Beach and city lifestyle combined
- +Excellent public transport (Metro/Bus)
- +World-class food, art, and nightlife
- +Strong startup ecosystem
Cons
- −High cost of living (€2,500+/mo)
- −Very difficult to find apartments
- −Severe tourist overcrowding
- −Pickpocketing in tourist areas
🇪🇸San Sebastian
Pros
- +World-class gastronomy with most Michelin stars per capita globally
- +La Concha beach consistently ranked among Europe's best urban beaches
- +Exceptional surf scene at Zurriola with year-round waves
- +Very safe city with extremely low crime rates
Cons
- −One of Spain's most expensive cities for rent and dining
- −Rainy climate with 1500mm annual precipitation even in summer
- −Smaller digital nomad community compared to Barcelona or Valencia
- −Limited coworking space options for such a developed city