Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and San Jose Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and San Jose

🙂 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 0.1% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 54.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 3% more expensive than San Jose without rent, and 31.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
San Jose
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.33 €14.96
$10.76 ₡5,385
61.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.1 €59.6
$60.7 ₡30.4K
13.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.09 €12.16
$10.1 ₡5,057
39.50%
Cappuccino
$2.83 €2.45
$3.81 ₡1,906
-25.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 €2.44
$2.03 ₡1,018
38.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 €1.69
$1.58 ₡791
24.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.55 €3.93
$2.95 ₡1,478
54.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.7 €4.05
$4.6 ₡2,305
2.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
San Jose
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 €1.11
$1.98 ₡990
-34.85%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 €1.81
$2.85 ₡1,429
-26.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 €1.68
$2.24 ₡1,124
-13.39%
Eggs
$3.43 €2.96
$3.04 ₡1,520
12.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.48 €15.95
$9.76 ₡4,886
89.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.47 €8.18
$9.25 ₡4,628
2.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.74 €16.18
$13.6 ₡6,806
37.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 €2.34
$4.63 ₡2,317
-41.47%
Banana (1kg)
$2.46 €2.13
$1.46 ₡729
68.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 €1.89
$4.21 ₡2,109
-47.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.79 €2.41
$3.6 ₡1,803
-22.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 €1.75
$3.39 ₡1,699
-40.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$3.1 ₡1,553
-42.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.27
$1.01 ₡506
45.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.73
$2.81 ₡1,405
-69.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.78 €5.85
$5.34 ₡2,674
26.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.15 €6.18
$19.26 ₡9,643
-62.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 €1.19
$2.44 ₡1,223
-43.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 €2.07
$2.92 ₡1,463
-18.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
San Jose
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.51
$0.97 ₡486
200.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.82 €24.89
$41.43 ₡20.7K
-30.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.56 €3.94
$1.84 ₡922
147.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.11 €1.82
$1.87 ₡937
12.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.79 €24.86
$7.74 ₡3,876
271.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 €1.62
$1.4 ₡699
34.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.9K €33.6K
$38.2K ₡19.1M
1.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.3K €27.9K
$32.5K ₡16.3M
-0.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
San Jose
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$184 €159
$95.1 ₡47.6K
93.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.37 €19.32
$25.45 ₡12.7K
-12.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.39 €32.28
$59.8 ₡29.9K
-37.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
San Jose
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.2 €50.3
$56.8 ₡28.4K
2.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.78 €17.94
$37.5 ₡18.8K
-44.59%
Cinema Ticket
$11.02 €9.52
$10.22 ₡5,116
7.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
San Jose
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$714 €617
$580 ₡290.3K
23.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.2K €13.1K
$12.8K ₡6.4M
18.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
San Jose
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.7 €74.8
$61.6 ₡30.8K
40.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.91 €31.87
$50.6 ₡25.3K
-27.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €90.9
$124 ₡62.1K
-15.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €101
$109 ₡54.8K
6.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
San Jose
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,575 €1,360
$884 ₡442.5K
78.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,260 €1,088
$545 ₡272.8K
131.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,718 €2,347
$1,454 ₡727.6K
86.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,030 €1,753
$1,017 ₡509K
99.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,535 €5,642
$2,943 ₡1.5M
122.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,017 €4,332
$1,720 ₡860.9K
191.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
San Jose
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,202 €1,902
$991 ₡495.9K
122.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.39
10.17
-66.67%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 3, 2025

Last update for San Jose: November 4, 2025

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