Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Escazu

For one person, living is cheaper in Escazu: $1,933 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
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Escazu Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Escazu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,933 in Escazu.

Barcelona $2,399
Escazu $1,933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,966 in Escazu.

Barcelona $3,410
Escazu $2,966

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,999 in Escazu.

Barcelona $4,421
Escazu $3,999

Living in Barcelona is roughly 24% more expensive than in Escazu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Escazu 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$12.23 ₡5,486

46.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$62.1 ₡27.9K

9.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$11.48 ₡5,146

15.68%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.56 ₡2,045

-28.73%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.72 ₡1,218

10.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.85 ₡828

1.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.36 ₡1,505

14.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.47 ₡2,006

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.32 ₡1,040

-44.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.12 ₡1,397

-34.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.49 ₡1,117

-30.92%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.59 ₡1,611

32.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$10.61 ₡4,757

58.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$10.22 ₡4,581

-12.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$13.94 ₡6,252

42.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$5.13 ₡2,301

-41.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.62 ₡726

25.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.16 ₡1,416

-13.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.07 ₡1,378

-12.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.79 ₡1,698

-44.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.73 ₡1,674

-44.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.04 ₡465

39.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.70 ₡762

-47.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$5.53 ₡2,479

25.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$18.39 ₡8,249

-57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.66 ₡745

-12.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.68 ₡1,202

-4.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.09 ₡491

174.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.06 ₡923

51.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.57 ₡704

-8.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$8.76 ₡3,927

282.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.48 ₡664

20.95%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$22.4K ₡10.1M

54.48%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$35.2K ₡15.8M

-14.54%

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

$178 €158

$94.6 ₡42.4K

88.10%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$29.81 ₡13.4K

-55.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$60.1 ₡27.0K

-41.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$108 ₡48.6K

-50.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$10.15 ₡4,550

57.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$7.81 ₡3,502

41.61%

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

$957 €851

$457 ₡204.9K

109.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-1.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$71.1 ₡31.9K

24.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$55.7 ₡25.0K

-29.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$131 ₡58.6K

-21.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$130 ₡58.4K

-6.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$834 ₡373.9K

98.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$845 ₡378.8K

54.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,961 ₡879.3K

30.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,508 ₡676.4K

26.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,407 ₡630.8K

417.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$972 ₡435.7K

422.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,746 ₡782.8K

30.65%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Escazu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Escazu

$845 43.7% 35.1% $457

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Escazu

$361 18.7% 12.6% $40

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Escazu

$231 12% 14.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Escazu

$184 9.5% 18.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Escazu

$174 9% 10.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Escazu

$124 6.4% 64.5% $49

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Escazu

$14 * 0.7% 69.9% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $834 in Escazu. 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $62.0 in Escazu. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $361, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇷 Escazu

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

08:04 8:04 AM

8 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

11,984

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Escazu 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Escazu

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 Escazu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Escazu differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,933 including rent). Escazu is meaningfully more affordable – 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $834 in Escazu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $457 in Escazu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Escazu – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,933 in Escazu versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Escazu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Escazu 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 Escazu 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 Escazu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.