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

😐 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 12.5% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 49.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 16.8% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 48.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.08 €14.72

$9.65 ₡4,786

76.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 €59.9

$39.43 ₡19.5K

76.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.87 €11.95

$9.41 ₡4,668

47.40%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.37

$3.60 ₡1,783

-23.61%

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

$2.72 €2.34

$1.96 ₡972

38.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.71

$1.34 ₡662

47.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.82

$2.17 ₡1,078

104.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.98

$3.64 ₡1,802

26.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.11

$1.85 ₡915

-30.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.77

$2.50 ₡1,241

-18.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 €1.67

$2.14 ₡1,063

-9.81%

Eggs

$3.46 €2.98

$2.24 ₡1,110

54.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.86 €16.26

$10.17 ₡5,040

85.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 €8.21

$9.37 ₡4,643

1.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.88 €16.28

$13.92 ₡6,899

35.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.25

$4.07 ₡2,017

-35.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.12

$1.52 ₡755

61.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.88

$4.19 ₡2,079

-47.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.46

$2.86 ₡1,416

-0.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 €1.68

$2.78 ₡1,376

-29.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$2.58 ₡1,277

-28.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.26

$0.96 ₡475

52.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.78

$2.58 ₡1,277

-64.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.10 €6.12

$5.01 ₡2,485

41.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.15 €6.16

$17.79 ₡8,822

-59.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.23

$2.12 ₡1,050

-32.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.00

$2.44 ₡1,209

-4.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.00 €2.59

$0.87 ₡429

244.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.36 €24.45

$110 ₡54.5K

-74.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 €3.93

$1.43 ₡710

218.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 €1.83

$1.37 ₡677

54.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.59 €25.50

$8.02 ₡3,974

268.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.61

$1.41 ₡699

31.91%

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

$38.5K €33.2K

$38.3K ₡19.0M

0.57%

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

$32.5K €28.0K

$32.8K ₡16.3M

-1.12%

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

$184 €159

$45.49 ₡22.6K

305.45%

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

$22.87 €19.72

$19.69 ₡9,763

16.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.73 €32.52

$33.41 ₡16.6K

12.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €49.99

$65.6 ₡32.5K

-11.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 €18.24

$42.96 ₡21.3K

-50.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 €9.63

$9.11 ₡4,516

22.61%

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

$704 €607

$297 ₡147.1K

137.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K €12.9K

$2,310 ₡1.1M

546.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 €75.4

$63.1 ₡31.3K

38.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.30 €32.15

$52.3 ₡26.0K

-28.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €89.6

$120 ₡59.5K

-13.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €101

$98.1 ₡48.7K

18.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,322

$696 ₡344.9K

120.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 €1,057

$600 ₡297.3K

104.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,779 €2,395

$978 ₡484.7K

184.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,014 €1,736

$955 ₡473.7K

110.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,981 €6,018

$2,004 ₡993.3K

248.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,821 €4,155

$1,520 ₡753.4K

217.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,473 €2,132

$1,216 ₡602.8K

103.39%

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: January 11, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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