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

😐 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 4.2% more expensive than Arenal without rent, and 46.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 20.1% more expensive than Arenal without rent, and 36.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Arenal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.41 €15.03
$10.9 ₡5,456
59.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.7 €59.3
$58.6 ₡29.3K
17.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.71 €11.84
$9.82 ₡4,918
39.61%
Cappuccino
$2.78 €2.4
$3.8 ₡1,904
-26.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.8 €2.42
$1.98 ₡990
41.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.71
$1.61 ₡805
22.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 €3.83
$3 ₡1,502
47.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €3.91
$4.73 ₡2,367
-4.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Arenal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 €1.07
$2.06 ₡1,033
-39.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 €1.75
$2.85 ₡1,428
-28.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 €1.71
$2.22 ₡1,112
-10.81%
Eggs
$3.46 €2.99
$2.93 ₡1,469
18.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.32 €15.82
$9.74 ₡4,874
88.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.82 €8.47
$9.08 ₡4,546
8.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.24 €16.61
$13.84 ₡6,931
39.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.25
$4.4 ₡2,203
-40.68%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 €2.02
$1.51 ₡756
54.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 €1.82
$4.36 ₡2,183
-51.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 €2.39
$3.55 ₡1,779
-21.97%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 €1.76
$3.52 ₡1,765
-42.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$3.21 ₡1,605
-44.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.5 €1.3
$0.97 ₡484
54.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.73
$2.85 ₡1,427
-70.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7 €6.04
$5.38 ₡2,695
30.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.13 €6.16
$18.66 ₡9,343
-61.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.24
$2.52 ₡1,259
-43.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €1.98
$2.95 ₡1,476
-22.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Arenal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 €2.6
$1.04 ₡520
190.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.97 €25.01
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.59 €3.96
$1.78 ₡891
157.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 €1.74
$1.84 ₡921
9.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.56 €25.53
$8.11 ₡4,058
264.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 €1.56
$1.4 ₡700
29.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K €33.1K
$37.7K ₡18.9M
1.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K €28K
$33.1K ₡16.6M
-2.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Arenal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 €164
$94.5 ₡47.3K
100.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.18 €19.15
$25.71 ₡12.9K
-13.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.37 €31.4
$59.1 ₡29.6K
-38.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Arenal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 €49.55
$57.8 ₡28.9K
-0.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.95 €18.09
$23.97 ₡12K
-12.60%
Cinema Ticket
$10.8 €9.33
$9.73 ₡4,873
11.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Arenal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$732 €632
$561 ₡280.7K
30.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.1K €13.1K
$12.7K ₡6.4M
18.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Arenal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.8 €74.9
$61.6 ₡30.8K
40.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.78 €31.76
$52.4 ₡26.2K
-29.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €88.2
$126 ₡63.1K
-18.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €101
$108 ₡54K
8.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Arenal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,581 €1,365
$759 ₡380.1K
108.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 €1,062
$597 ₡299K
105.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,707 €2,337
$1,533 ₡767.2K
76.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 €1,751
$968 ₡484.4K
109.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,602 €5,700
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,045 €4,356
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Arenal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,198 €1,898
-
-
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 Arenal: October 27, 2025

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