Comparación del coste de vida entre Barcelona y Cartago Comparación del coste de vida entre Barcelona y Cartago

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,341 in Barcelona versus $830 in Cartago.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,462 in Barcelona versus $1,258 in Cartago.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,582 in Barcelona versus $1,686 in Cartago.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 182% more expensive than Cartago, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 75% above, Cartago is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 €15.08

$3.69 COP 13.3K

377.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 €58.8

$28.64 COP 103.4K

139.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.75 €11.77

$7.16 COP 25.9K

92.04%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.36

$1.63 COP 5,867

69.33%

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

$2.78 €2.38

$0.94 COP 3,398

195.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.75

$0.56 COP 2,026

266.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 €3.94

$1.01 COP 3,663

356.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €3.93

$2.51 COP 9,070

82.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.10

$1.26 COP 4,549

1.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 €1.81

$1.51 COP 5,457

39.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.69

$1.24 COP 4,481

58.87%

Eggs

$3.44 €2.95

$2.58 COP 9,313

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 €16.12

$4.15 COP 15.0K

353.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 €8.09

$5.50 COP 19.9K

71.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 €16.27

$7.76 COP 28.0K

144.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.33

$2.50 COP 9,022

8.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.03

$0.97 COP 3,503

144.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.78

$1.15 COP 4,149

80.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.36

$1.25 COP 4,518

120.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.69

$0.88 COP 3,162

123.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.53

$1.11 COP 4,010

61.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.29

$0.72 COP 2,597

109.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.77

$0.68 COP 2,459

32.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.76 €5.79

$2.84 COP 10.3K

138.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 €6.46

$11.44 COP 41.3K

-34.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.23

$1.08 COP 3,885

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.06

$1.92 COP 6,930

25.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.59

$0.73 COP 2,649

315.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.39 €24.30

$30.35 COP 109.6K

-6.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.79

$1.59 COP 5,736

178.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 €1.76

$1.95 COP 7,029

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.33 €25.11

$9.46 COP 34.2K

210.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.62

$0.95 COP 3,422

98.95%

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

$38.7K €33.2K

$22.2K COP 80.2M

74.30%

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

$32.4K €27.7K

$29.9K COP 107.8M

8.40%

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

$189 €161

$81.2 COP 293.0K

132.34%

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

$22.21 €19.01

$9.09 COP 32.8K

144.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.82 €31.52

$24.36 COP 87.9K

51.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €49.64

$23.12 COP 83.5K

150.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.99 €17.97

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 €9.46

$4.70 COP 17.0K

135.11%

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

$726 €622

$222 COP 801.6K

227.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.0K

$5,904 COP 21.3M

157.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 €75.6

$63.2 COP 228.0K

39.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.98 €31.66

$44.18 COP 159.5K

-16.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €87.8

$78.6 COP 283.6K

30.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €102

$89.9 COP 324.7K

32.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,526 €1,307

$288 COP 1.0M

430.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 €1,043

$236 COP 851.2K

416.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,794 €2,392

$524 COP 1.9M

433.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,027 €1,735

$430 COP 1.6M

371.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,094 €6,073

$1,776 COP 6.4M

299.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,849 €4,151

$1,493 COP 5.4M

224.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,404 €2,058

$327 COP 1.2M

634.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

11.58

-70.73%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Barcelona: April 27, 2026

Última actualización para Cartago: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,526 in Barcelona and $288 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 634% 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: $69.0 in Barcelona vs $29.00 in Cartago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $183 per month, with Cartago cheaper across the board.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Barcelona vs Cartago: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Barcelona and Cartago differ by about 182% in total monthly costs ($2,341 vs $830 including rent). Cartago is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Barcelona pays 634% more on average, 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: $1,526 in Barcelona versus $288 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $726 in Barcelona versus $222 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $830 in Cartago versus $2,341 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cartago but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Cartago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Cartago are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cartago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 182% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.