Cost of Living Comparison Between Arenal and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Arenal and Barcelona

🙂 Solo nomad: Arenal is 4% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 31.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Arenal is 16.7% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 26.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arenal
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.9 ₡5,456
$17.41 €15.03
-37.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.6 ₡29.3K
$68.7 €59.3
-14.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.82 ₡4,918
$13.71 €11.84
-28.37%
Cappuccino
$3.8 ₡1,904
$2.78 €2.4
36.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 ₡990
$2.8 €2.42
-29.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 ₡805
$1.98 €1.71
-18.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3 ₡1,502
$4.43 €3.83
-32.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.73 ₡2,367
$4.53 €3.91
4.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arenal
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ₡1,033
$1.24 €1.07
66.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 ₡1,428
$2.03 €1.75
40.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 ₡1,112
$1.98 €1.71
12.12%
Eggs
$2.93 ₡1,469
$3.46 €2.99
-15.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.74 ₡4,874
$18.32 €15.82
-46.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.08 ₡4,546
$9.82 €8.47
-7.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.84 ₡6,931
$19.24 €16.61
-28.07%
Apples (1kg)
$4.4 ₡2,203
$2.61 €2.25
68.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 ₡756
$2.34 €2.02
-35.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.36 ₡2,183
$2.11 €1.82
106.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.55 ₡1,779
$2.77 €2.39
28.16%
Potato (1kg)
$3.52 ₡1,765
$2.04 €1.76
72.55%
Onion (1kg)
$3.21 ₡1,605
$1.77 €1.53
81.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 ₡484
$1.5 €1.3
-35.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.85 ₡1,427
$0.85 €0.73
235.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.38 ₡2,695
$7 €6.04
-23.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.66 ₡9,343
$7.13 €6.16
161.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.52 ₡1,259
$1.43 €1.24
76.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 ₡1,476
$2.29 €1.98
28.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Arenal
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 ₡520
$3.02 €2.6
-65.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.97 €25.01
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.78 ₡891
$4.59 €3.96
-61.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 ₡921
$2.02 €1.74
-8.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.11 ₡4,058
$29.56 €25.53
-72.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.4 ₡700
$1.81 €1.56
-22.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.7K ₡18.9M
$38.4K €33.1K
-1.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K ₡16.6M
$32.4K €28K
2.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arenal
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.5 ₡47.3K
$190 €164
-50.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.71 ₡12.9K
$22.18 €19.15
15.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.1 ₡29.6K
$36.37 €31.4
62.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arenal
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.8 ₡28.9K
$57.4 €49.55
0.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.97 ₡12K
$20.95 €18.09
14.42%
Cinema Ticket
$9.73 ₡4,873
$10.8 €9.33
-9.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arenal
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$561 ₡280.7K
$732 €632
-23.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K ₡6.4M
$15.1K €13.1K
-15.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arenal
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.6 ₡30.8K
$86.8 €74.9
-29.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 ₡26.2K
$36.78 €31.76
42.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$126 ₡63.1K
$102 €88.2
23.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 ₡54K
$117 €101
-7.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arenal
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$759 ₡380.1K
$1,581 €1,365
-51.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$597 ₡299K
$1,230 €1,062
-51.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,533 ₡767.2K
$2,707 €2,337
-43.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$968 ₡484.4K
$2,028 €1,751
-52.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,602 €5,700
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$5,045 €4,356
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arenal
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,198 €1,898
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.17
3.39
200.00%

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

Last update for Arenal: October 27, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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