Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cartago, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,733 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Cartago

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 Cartago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,733 in Cartago.

Barcelona $2,453
Cartago $1,733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,363 in Cartago.

Barcelona $3,509
Cartago $2,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,993 in Cartago.

Barcelona $4,564
Cartago $2,993

Living in Barcelona is roughly 42% more expensive than in Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Cartago 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$8.61 ₡3,886

104.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$35.63 ₡16.1K

89.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.75 ₡4,400

38.77%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.55 ₡2,056

-29.89%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.24 ₡1,013

29.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.37 ₡618

37.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.15 ₡972

86.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.20 ₡1,896

7.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.39 ₡1,079

-45.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.48 ₡1,118

-18.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.42 ₡1,093

-23.55%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.59 ₡1,622

34.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$8.73 ₡3,940

91.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.61 ₡4,788

-14.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$13.93 ₡6,288

40.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$5.05 ₡2,279

-40.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.33 ₡601

51.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.37 ₡1,975

-38.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.99 ₡1,350

-6.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.16 ₡977

-3.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.25 ₡1,015

-8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.07 ₡484

36.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.18 ₡985

-56.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$5.98 ₡2,700

14.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$15.61 ₡7,047

-49.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.85 ₡1,286

-50.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.02 ₡911

25.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.27 ₡571

147.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$74.1 ₡33.5K

-65.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.31 ₡591

128.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.57 ₡711

-5.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$8.73 ₡3,941

282.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.50 ₡675

20.00%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.7K ₡15.7M

-4.31%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-25.03%

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

$180 €162

$53.0 ₡23.9K

240.40%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$36.31 ₡16.4K

-61.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$60.0 ₡27.1K

-43.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$68.0 ₡30.7K

-24.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$77.5 ₡35.0K

-79.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$7.16 ₡3,234

53.49%

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

$917 €821

$559 ₡252.2K

64.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,872 ₡3.6M

109.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$72.8 ₡32.9K

19.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$56.8 ₡25.7K

-32.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$121 ₡54.8K

-12.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$87.1 ₡39.3K

37.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$733 ₡331.0K

131.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$725 ₡327.1K

87.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,920 ₡866.9K

35.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$702 ₡316.8K

193.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,305 ₡589.0K

69.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

8.62

-61.95%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Cartago

$725 41.8% 46.5% $631

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Cartago

$350 20.2% 8.9% $29

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Cartago

$186 10.8% 30.4% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Cartago

$149 8.6% 34.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Cartago

$152 8.8% 3.7% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cartago

$82 4.8% 12% $8.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cartago

$88 5.1% 82.3% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $733 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 69% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $36 in Cartago. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $350, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇷 Cartago

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

10:12 10:12 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

110,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Cartago 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,733 in Cartago, so Cartago is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $733 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $559 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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