Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cartago Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cartago

😐 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 5.1% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 53.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 25% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 65.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Cartago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.41 €15.03
$8 ₡4,006
117.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.7 €59.3
$31.92 ₡16K
115.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.71 €11.84
$9.07 ₡4,540
51.16%
Cappuccino
$2.78 €2.4
$3.85 ₡1,929
-27.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.8 €2.42
$2.04 ₡1,020
37.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.71
$1.22 ₡613
62.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 €3.83
$2.04 ₡1,021
117.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €3.91
$4.68 ₡2,345
-3.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Cartago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 €1.07
$1.98 ₡989
-37.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 €1.75
$2.2 ₡1,103
-7.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 €1.71
$2.2 ₡1,103
-10.00%
Eggs
$3.46 €2.99
$2.87 ₡1,439
20.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.32 €15.82
$8.06 ₡4,037
127.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.82 €8.47
$8.9 ₡4,456
10.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.24 €16.61
$13.87 ₡6,946
38.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.25
$4.4 ₡2,205
-40.68%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 €2.02
$1.17 ₡585
100.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 €1.82
$3.93 ₡1,970
-46.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 €2.39
$2.7 ₡1,352
2.59%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 €1.76
$1.98 ₡989
3.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$1.93 ₡968
-8.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.5 €1.3
$0.97 ₡486
54.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.73
$2.03 ₡1,017
-58.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7 €6.04
$5.37 ₡2,688
30.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.13 €6.16
$13.79 ₡6,901
-48.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.24
$2.4 ₡1,203
-40.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €1.98
$1.75 ₡878
30.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Cartago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 €2.6
$1.06 ₡531
184.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.97 €25.01
$69 ₡34.5K
-58.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.59 €3.96
$1.35 ₡677
240.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 €1.74
$1.77 ₡886
14.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.56 €25.53
$7.7 ₡3,855
283.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 €1.56
$1.39 ₡695
30.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K €33.1K
$37.2K ₡18.6M
3.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K €28K
$33.1K ₡16.6M
-2.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Cartago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 €164
$48.99 ₡24.5K
287.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.18 €19.15
$25.87 ₡12.9K
-14.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.37 €31.4
$56.3 ₡28.2K
-35.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Cartago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 €49.55
$57.7 ₡28.9K
-0.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.95 €18.09
$24.16 ₡12.1K
-13.29%
Cinema Ticket
$10.8 €9.33
$6.38 ₡3,192
69.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Cartago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$732 €632
$490 ₡245.4K
49.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.1K €13.1K
$7,079 ₡3.5M
113.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Cartago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.8 €74.9
$61.7 ₡30.9K
40.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.78 €31.76
$52.2 ₡26.1K
-29.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €88.2
$108 ₡54K
-5.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €101
$79.5 ₡39.8K
47.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Cartago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,581 €1,365
$776 ₡388.3K
103.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 €1,062
$606 ₡303.4K
102.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,707 €2,337
$734 ₡367.6K
268.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 €1,751
$753 ₡377.1K
169.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,602 €5,700
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,045 €4,356
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Cartago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,198 €1,898
$1,613 ₡807.4K
36.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.39
10
-66.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Last update for Cartago: October 27, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.