That Barcelona is an expensive city is nothing new for those who pay rent or have a coffee on a terrace in the Eixample. However, when we talk about what goes into the current account at the end of the month, the capital is not the one that takes the gold medal. A recent experimental report by Idescat (Institut d’Estadística de Catalunya) has put exact figures on the income of Catalans in 2024, and the results draw a map of stark contrasts between municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants.
If we take a look at the podium, Sant Cugat del Vallès continues to play in its own league. With an average gross salary of 54,549 euros per year, its residents earn, on average, some 22,000 euros more than the Catalans as a whole. It is a dizzying figure that places this municipality well above its closest followers: Castelldefels, with 38,570 euros, and the city of Barcelona, which is in third position with an average of 36,466 euros.
The gap between neighbors: from Vallès to Santa Coloma
The curious thing about these data is not only to see who is at the top, but the sidereal distance from the other end of the list. While in Sant Cugat bonanza seems the norm, on the other side of the coin we find Santa Coloma de Gramenet, where the average gross salary stands at 26,003 euros. This means that, crossing just a few municipal boundaries, the salary difference can more than double.
Together with Santa Coloma, municipalities such as L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (26,638 €) and Reus (26,922 €) close the lower part of the table. These data reflect the socioeconomic reality of the metropolitan belts, where despite the general increase in wages in almost all cities over the previous year, the cost of living continues to squeeze hard.
Wage relief (almost) across the board
The good news within this radiography is that 2024 has been a year of growth. According to Idescat, practically all the large municipalities have seen the gross income of their citizens rise. Sant Cugat is not only the biggest gainer, but also the fastest growing with an increase of 5.9%, closely followed by Mollet del Vallès and Granollers.
The only exception to this positive trend is Manresa, where salaries have remained practically stagnant, with a very slight negative variation of 0.1%. On the other hand, cities such as Girona and Badalona have also recorded increases, although much more timidly than the Catalan average, which stands at a growth of 3.0%.
Sectors and gender: where the money is
If you are wondering where you have to work to get close to these figures for Sant Cugat, the answer is usually in the most cutting-edge offices or factories. Overall in Catalonia, the communications, financial activities and real estate sectors pay the best, with an average of 45,469 euros. However, in places like Castelldefels or Tarragona itself, it is industry that continues to pull the cart of the highest salaries.
The study also sheds light on a pending issue: the gender gap. Although women in Barcelona have one of the highest average salaries in the territory (33,349 €), they are still below the male average in the city. Globally in Catalonia, the difference is almost 6,000 euros per year between men and women, a figure that reminds us that, beyond the city rankings, there is still a long way to go in balancing our paychecks.