Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cartagena, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,404 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,404

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Cartagena

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Cartagena actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,404 in Cartagena.

Barcelona $2,443
Cartagena $1,404

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,078 in Cartagena.

Barcelona $3,519
Cartagena $2,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,752 in Cartagena.

Barcelona $4,595
Cartagena $2,752

Living in Barcelona is roughly 74% more expensive than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Cartagena 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.72

$14.11 €12.57

25.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$57.0 €50.7

18.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$7.80 €6.95

74.49%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$2.56 €2.28

21.09%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.47 €2.20

21.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.76 €1.57

9.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$3.44 €3.06

11.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$3.83 €3.41

13.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.18 €1.05

5.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.13 €1.01

87.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.56 €2.28

-23.05%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$3.82 €3.40

24.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$12.85 €11.44

32.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$7.10 €6.32

26.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$18.80 €16.74

9.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.41 €2.15

31.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.46 €2.19

-19.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.60 €1.43

65.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$3.24 €2.88

-11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.28 €1.14

60.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.30 €1.15

67.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.60 €1.42

-4.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.69 €0.61

40.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$5.68 €5.06

22.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$6.18 €5.51

27.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.22 €1.09

16.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.13 €1.01

138.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$1.42 €1.26

133.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.80

$11.36 €10.12

125.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$5.53 €4.92

-44.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.27 €2.02

-34.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.27

$27.84 €24.79

18.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.78 €1.59

5.06%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$35.2K €31.4K

-6.46%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$30.3K €27.0K

5.38%

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

$183 €163

$187 €167

-2.30%

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

$14.24 €12.68

$19.31 €17.19

-26.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.78

$29.28 €26.07

18.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.79

$40.49 €36.05

26.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.59

$12.71 €11.31

28.87%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$7.72 €6.88

43.26%

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

$944 €840

$407 €363

131.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$2,649 €2,358

740.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$45.72 €40.71

91.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.52

$34.90 €31.08

11.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$60.0 €53.4

74.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$104 €92.2

13.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,511

$590 €525

187.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$490 €436

173.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,397

$875 €779

207.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,849

$706 €629

194.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,371

$1,745 €1,554

309.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,522

$1,395 €1,242

264.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,996

$1,714 €1,526

30.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.06

-21.43%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Cartagena

$490 34.9% 63.4% $847

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Cartagena

$270 19.3% 17.5% $57

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Cartagena

$209 14.9% 21.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Cartagena

$236 16.8% 1.8% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Cartagena

$110 7.8% 30% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cartagena

$56 4% 24% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 31.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $590 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $57 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $270 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

218,050

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barcelona vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,404 in Cartagena, so Cartagena is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $590 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $407 in Cartagena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cartagena is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Cartagena are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.