Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago, Costa Rica and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,733 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
Learn more

Cartago Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartago 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 Cartago and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,733 in Cartago versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Cartago $1,733
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,363 in Cartago versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Cartago $2,363
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,993 in Cartago versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Cartago $2,993
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Cartago costs roughly 29% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartago 27% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 ₡3,886

$17.59 €15.75

-51.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 ₡16.1K

$67.5 €60.5

-47.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 ₡4,400

$13.53 €12.12

-27.94%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₡2,056

$3.19 €2.86

42.63%

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

$2.24 ₡1,013

$2.91 €2.61

-23.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₡618

$1.89 €1.70

-27.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₡972

$4.01 €3.59

-46.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 ₡1,896

$4.53 €4.06

-7.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.31 €1.17

82.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$2.02 €1.81

22.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,093

$1.85 €1.66

30.81%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,622

$4.83 €4.33

-25.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ₡3,940

$16.74 €14.99

-47.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,788

$9.12 €8.17

16.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 ₡6,288

$19.64 €17.59

-29.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,279

$2.98 €2.67

69.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ₡601

$2.02 €1.81

-34.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 ₡1,975

$2.70 €2.42

61.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 ₡1,350

$2.80 €2.51

6.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ₡977

$2.09 €1.87

3.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,015

$2.07 €1.85

8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡484

$1.46 €1.31

-26.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡985

$0.94 €0.84

131.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 ₡2,700

$6.87 €6.15

-12.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.61 ₡7,047

$7.89 €7.06

97.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,286

$1.41 €1.26

102.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₡911

$2.54 €2.27

-20.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ₡571

$3.14 €2.82

-59.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 ₡33.5K

$25.45 €22.79

191.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ₡591

$2.99 €2.68

-56.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡711

$1.49 €1.34

5.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 ₡3,941

$33.37 €29.89

-73.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡675

$1.80 €1.61

-16.67%

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

$34.7K ₡15.7M

$33.2K €29.7K

4.51%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$31.7K €28.4K

33.39%

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

$53.0 ₡23.9K

$180 €162

-70.62%

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

$36.31 ₡16.4K

$13.84 €12.39

162.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡27.1K

$33.70 €30.18

78.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 ₡30.7K

$51.5 €46.13

31.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$77.5 ₡35.0K

$15.96 €14.29

385.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 ₡3,234

$10.99 €9.85

-34.85%

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

$559 ₡252.2K

$917 €821

-39.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,872 ₡3.6M

$16.5K €14.8K

-52.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 ₡32.9K

$87.0 €77.9

-16.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.7K

$38.51 €34.49

47.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.8K

$106 €94.8

14.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 ₡39.3K

$120 €107

-27.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ₡331.0K

$1,699 €1,522

-56.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ₡327.1K

$1,355 €1,214

-46.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡866.9K

$2,603 €2,331

-26.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ₡316.8K

$2,062 €1,847

-65.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,305 ₡589.0K

$2,211 €1,980

-40.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.28

162.80%

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

Last update for Cartago: 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

Cartago

$725 41.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 87% $631

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$350 20.2%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 8.1% $29

Eating Out

Cartago

$186 10.8%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 43.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$152 8.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 3.8% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$149 8.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 52.7% $79

Getting Around

Cartago

$88 5.1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 45.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$82 4.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 10.7% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Cartago and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 69% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Cartago vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Cartago

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

20:34 8:34 PM

7 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartago Barcelona 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
Barcelona

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

Cartago vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,733 in Cartago and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Cartago is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Cartago. 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: $733 in Cartago versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $559 in Cartago versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

It comes down to priorities – Cartago wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.