Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Alajuela Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Alajuela

🙂 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 10.9% cheaper than Alajuela without rent, and 48.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 19.2% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 42.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 €15.03

$9.9 ₡4,957

75.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 €59.3

$39.44 ₡19.7K

74.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.71 €11.84

$9.22 ₡4,614

48.70%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.4

$3.76 ₡1,881

-26.06%

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

$2.8 €2.42

$2 ₡1,003

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.71

$1.29 ₡648

53.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.83

$2.21 ₡1,105

100.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €3.91

$3.63 ₡1,818

24.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.87 ₡936

-33.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$2.42 ₡1,210

-16.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.71

$2.24 ₡1,120

-11.61%

Eggs

$3.46 €2.99

$2.21 ₡1,108

56.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.32 €15.82

$9.87 ₡4,940

85.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.82 €8.47

$9.15 ₡4,582

7.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.24 €16.61

$13.48 ₡6,749

42.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.25

$4 ₡2,003

-34.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 €2.02

$1.45 ₡727

61.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.82

$4.14 ₡2,073

-49.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 €2.39

$2.85 ₡1,426

-2.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.76

$2.81 ₡1,408

-27.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 €1.53

$2.51 ₡1,258

-29.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.5 €1.3

$1.01 ₡507

48.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.73

$2.61 ₡1,309

-67.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7 €6.04

$4.92 ₡2,461

42.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.13 €6.16

$18.86 ₡9,443

-62.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.24

$2.08 ₡1,042

-31.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €1.98

$2.54 ₡1,270

-9.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 €2.6

$0.81 ₡405

272.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.97 €25.01

$110 ₡55.3K

-73.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €3.96

$1.44 ₡721

218.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 €1.74

$1.29 ₡648

56.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.56 €25.53

$8.07 ₡4,038

266.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.56

$1.39 ₡697

30.22%

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

$38.4K €33.1K

$38.1K ₡19.1M

0.68%

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

$32.4K €28K

$32.4K ₡16.2M

0.04%

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

$190 €164

$45.25 ₡22.7K

318.98%

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

$22.18 €19.15

$19.72 ₡9,873

12.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.37 €31.4

$32.46 ₡16.2K

12.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.55

$64.6 ₡32.3K

-11.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.95 €18.09

$44.61 ₡22.3K

-53.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.8 €9.33

$8.88 ₡4,444

21.62%

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

$732 €632

$297 ₡148.5K

146.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K €13.1K

$2,329 ₡1.2M

549.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 €74.9

$61.6 ₡30.8K

40.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.78 €31.76

$50.8 ₡25.4K

-27.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €88.2

$119 ₡59.7K

-14.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €101

$101 ₡50.7K

15.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 €1,365

$709 ₡355K

122.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 €1,062

$602 ₡301.3K

104.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,707 €2,337

$1,004 ₡502.8K

169.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 €1,751

$936 ₡468.5K

116.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,602 €5,700

$2,022 ₡1M

226.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,045 €4,356

$1,481 ₡741.5K

240.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,198 €1,898

$1,217 ₡609K

80.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

10.17

-66.67%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Last update for Alajuela: October 28, 2025

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