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

😐 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 13.8% more expensive than San José without rent, and 133.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 19.1% more expensive than San José without rent, and 109.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
San José
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.41 €15.03
$15.87 UYU 652
9.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.7 €59.3
$54.1 UYU 2,222
27.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.71 €11.84
$11.18 UYU 460
22.63%
Cappuccino
$2.78 €2.4
$4.26 UYU 175
-34.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.8 €2.42
$2.17 UYU 89
29.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.71
$1.77 UYU 72.6
11.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 €3.83
$4.33 UYU 178
2.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €3.91
$3.74 UYU 154
21.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
San José
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 €1.07
$0.99 UYU 40.62
25.25%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 €1.75
$1.91 UYU 78.6
6.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 €1.71
$1.46 UYU 59.8
35.62%
Eggs
$3.46 €2.99
$2.51 UYU 103
37.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.32 €15.82
$12.42 UYU 510
47.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.82 €8.47
$7.13 UYU 293
37.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.24 €16.61
$11.19 UYU 460
71.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.25
$1.19 UYU 49.1
119.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 €2.02
$1.49 UYU 61
57.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 €1.82
$1.19 UYU 49
77.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 €2.39
$1.49 UYU 61.3
85.91%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 €1.76
$0.93 UYU 38.35
119.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$1.2 UYU 49.51
47.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.5 €1.3
$1.32 UYU 54.4
13.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.73
$1.66 UYU 68.2
-48.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7 €6.04
$5.01 UYU 206
39.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.13 €6.16
$9.91 UYU 407
-28.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.24
$2.35 UYU 96.5
-39.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €1.98
$3.01 UYU 124
-23.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
San José
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 €2.6
$1.24 UYU 50.9
143.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.97 €25.01
$43.32 UYU 1,780
-33.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.59 €3.96
$1.49 UYU 61.4
208.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 €1.74
$1.56 UYU 63.9
29.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.56 €25.53
$11.22 UYU 461
163.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 €1.56
$1.82 UYU 74.9
-0.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K €33.1K
$34.4K UYU 1.4M
11.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K €28K
$36.7K UYU 1.5M
-11.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
San José
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 €164
$172 UYU 7,055
10.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.18 €19.15
$16.75 UYU 688
32.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.37 €31.4
$49 UYU 2,014
-25.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
San José
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 €49.55
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.95 €18.09
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.8 €9.33
$10.6 UYU 435
1.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
San José
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$732 €632
$483 UYU 19.9K
51.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.1K €13.1K
$8,821 UYU 362.5K
71.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
San José
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.8 €74.9
$91.7 UYU 3,768
-5.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.78 €31.76
$46.8 UYU 1,923
-21.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €88.2
$115 UYU 4,739
-11.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €101
$123 UYU 5,072
-5.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
San José
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,581 €1,365
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 €1,062
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,707 €2,337
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 €1,751
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,602 €5,700
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,045 €4,356
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
San José
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,198 €1,898
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.39
5.68
-40.32%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Last update for San José: October 28, 2025

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