Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena, Spain and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,425 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cartagena and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Cartagena versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Cartagena $1,425
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,101 in Cartagena versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Cartagena $2,101
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,778 in Cartagena versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Cartagena $2,778
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Cartagena costs roughly 42% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartagena 5% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.40

$17.59 €15.75

-21.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$67.5 €60.5

-16.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 €7.12

$13.53 €12.12

-41.24%

Cappuccino

$2.47 €2.21

$3.19 €2.86

-22.57%

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

$2.56 €2.30

$2.91 €2.61

-12.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.89 €1.70

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$4.01 €3.59

-14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.46

$4.53 €4.06

-14.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.31 €1.17

-6.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 €1.06

$2.02 €1.81

-41.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.85 €1.66

42.16%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$4.83 €4.33

-18.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 €11.48

$16.74 €14.99

-23.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 €6.01

$9.12 €8.17

-26.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.79

$19.64 €17.59

-4.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.98 €2.67

-20.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.02 €1.81

21.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.70 €2.42

-41.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.87

$2.80 €2.51

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.09 €1.87

-38.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$2.07 €1.85

-39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.46 €1.31

4.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.94 €0.84

-26.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.11

$6.87 €6.15

-16.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 €5.64

$7.89 €7.06

-20.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.41 €1.26

-14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.54 €2.27

-53.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.14 €2.82

-52.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.08 €9.93

$25.45 €22.79

-56.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 €5.06

$2.99 €2.68

88.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.49 €1.34

49.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.72 €24.83

$33.37 €29.89

-16.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.80 €1.61

-1.67%

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

$34.6K €30.9K

$33.2K €29.7K

4.11%

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

$29.9K €26.7K

$31.7K €28.4K

-5.81%

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

$211 €189

$180 €162

17.00%

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

$19.43 €17.40

$13.84 €12.39

40.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 €26.21

$33.70 €30.18

-13.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 €36.92

$51.5 €46.13

-19.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 €11.47

$15.96 €14.29

-19.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 €6.91

$10.99 €9.85

-29.75%

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

$406 €364

$917 €821

-55.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,651 €2,374

$16.5K €14.8K

-83.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.46 €41.61

$87.0 €77.9

-46.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 €31.24

$38.51 €34.49

-9.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 €54.2

$106 €94.8

-42.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.5

$120 €107

-15.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 €534

$1,699 €1,522

-64.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 €439

$1,355 €1,214

-63.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 €781

$2,603 €2,331

-66.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 €644

$2,062 €1,847

-65.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,737 €1,556

$6,915 €6,193

-74.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,427 €1,278

$5,128 €4,592

-72.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 €1,526

$2,211 €1,980

-22.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.28

23.78%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$490 34.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 177% $866

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$269 18.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 19.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$260 18.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 12.3% $32

Eating Out

Cartagena

$207 14.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 29.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$109 7.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 44.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 29.7% $17

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 43.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $596 in Cartagena and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 30% 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: $56 in Cartagena vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $322 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

Same time as Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Cartagena vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,425 in Cartagena and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Cartagena is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Cartagena. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $596 in Cartagena versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $406 in Cartagena versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cartagena is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.