Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,520 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,520

/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 $1,520 in Cartagena.

Barcelona $2,443
Cartagena $1,520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,565 in Cartagena.

Barcelona $3,519
Cartagena $2,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,610 in Cartagena.

Barcelona $4,595
Cartagena $3,610

Living in Barcelona is roughly 61% 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 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.79

$5.63 COP 18.2K

213.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$142 COP 457.5K

-52.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.17

$10.19 COP 32.9K

33.56%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$4.44 COP 14.3K

-30.18%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$2.44 COP 7,876

22.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.23 COP 7,198

-13.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$3.18 COP 10.3K

20.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$5.06 COP 16.3K

-13.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.90 COP 6,121

-34.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.78 COP 8,970

-23.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.43 COP 4,615

37.76%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$4.96 COP 16.0K

-4.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.26

$13.42 COP 43.3K

27.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$17.30 COP 55.9K

-48.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.46

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$2.06 COP 6,639

-52.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.05

$14.10 COP 45.5K

-44.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.39 COP 4,503

2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$1.25 COP 4,027

164.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.90

$67.0 COP 216.1K

-61.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$4.65 COP 15.0K

-33.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$3.69 COP 11.9K

-59.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.40

$9.53 COP 30.8K

244.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.34 COP 4,341

39.55%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$33.9K COP 109.5M

-2.81%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$35.0K COP 113.1M

-8.79%

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

$183 €164

$79.0 COP 254.9K

131.54%

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

$14.24 €12.73

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.91

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.98

$54.8 COP 177.0K

-6.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.65

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.89

$8.10 COP 26.1K

36.54%

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

$944 €844

$630 COP 2.0M

49.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$12.0K COP 38.6M

86.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.67

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,517

$1,347 COP 4.3M

25.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,195

$842 COP 2.7M

58.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,407

$2,468 COP 8.0M

9.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,857

$1,580 COP 5.1M

31.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,398

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,542

$921 COP 3.0M

451.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,004

$464 COP 1.5M

383.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

-78.73%

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 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Cartagena

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Cartagena

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Cartagena

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Cartagena

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Cartagena

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cartagena

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Cartagena

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,347 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $142 in Cartagena. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $259, with Cartagena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,028,736

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Cartagena 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Cartagena

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 $1,520 in Cartagena, so Cartagena is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 4.8 times higher, 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 $1,347 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $630 in Cartagena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% 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.

For families, Cartagena is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Cartagena wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.