Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Barcelona

🙂 Solo nomad: Cartago is 4.9% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 34.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cartago is 20% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 39.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cartago
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8 ₡4,006
$17.41 €15.03
-54.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.92 ₡16K
$68.7 €59.3
-53.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.07 ₡4,540
$13.71 €11.84
-33.84%
Cappuccino
$3.85 ₡1,929
$2.78 €2.4
38.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 ₡1,020
$2.8 €2.42
-27.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.22 ₡613
$1.98 €1.71
-38.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.04 ₡1,021
$4.43 €3.83
-53.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.68 ₡2,345
$4.53 €3.91
3.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cartago
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.98 ₡989
$1.24 €1.07
59.68%
White Bread (500g)
$2.2 ₡1,103
$2.03 €1.75
8.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.2 ₡1,103
$1.98 €1.71
11.11%
Eggs
$2.87 ₡1,439
$3.46 €2.99
-17.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.06 ₡4,037
$18.32 €15.82
-56.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.9 ₡4,456
$9.82 €8.47
-9.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.87 ₡6,946
$19.24 €16.61
-27.91%
Apples (1kg)
$4.4 ₡2,205
$2.61 €2.25
68.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.17 ₡585
$2.34 €2.02
-50.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.93 ₡1,970
$2.11 €1.82
86.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.7 ₡1,352
$2.77 €2.39
-2.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.98 ₡989
$2.04 €1.76
-2.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.93 ₡968
$1.77 €1.53
9.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 ₡486
$1.5 €1.3
-35.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.03 ₡1,017
$0.85 €0.73
138.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.37 ₡2,688
$7 €6.04
-23.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.79 ₡6,901
$7.13 €6.16
93.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.4 ₡1,203
$1.43 €1.24
67.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₡878
$2.29 €1.98
-23.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Cartago
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.06 ₡531
$3.02 €2.6
-64.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69 ₡34.5K
$28.97 €25.01
138.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₡677
$4.59 €3.96
-70.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.77 ₡886
$2.02 €1.74
-12.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.7 ₡3,855
$29.56 €25.53
-73.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ₡695
$1.81 €1.56
-23.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.2K ₡18.6M
$38.4K €33.1K
-3.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K ₡16.6M
$32.4K €28K
2.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartago
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.99 ₡24.5K
$190 €164
-74.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.87 ₡12.9K
$22.18 €19.15
16.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.3 ₡28.2K
$36.37 €31.4
54.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cartago
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.7 ₡28.9K
$57.4 €49.55
0.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.16 ₡12.1K
$20.95 €18.09
15.32%
Cinema Ticket
$6.38 ₡3,192
$10.8 €9.33
-40.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cartago
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡245.4K
$732 €632
-33.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,079 ₡3.5M
$15.1K €13.1K
-53.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cartago
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ₡30.9K
$86.8 €74.9
-28.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.2 ₡26.1K
$36.78 €31.76
41.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 ₡54K
$102 €88.2
5.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.5 ₡39.8K
$117 €101
-32.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cartago
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$776 ₡388.3K
$1,581 €1,365
-50.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$606 ₡303.4K
$1,230 €1,062
-50.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$734 ₡367.6K
$2,707 €2,337
-72.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$753 ₡377.1K
$2,028 €1,751
-62.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,602 €5,700
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$5,045 €4,356
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cartago
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,613 ₡807.4K
$2,198 €1,898
-26.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10
3.39
194.99%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 27, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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