Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Desamparados and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Desamparados: $1,689 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

82

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
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Desamparados Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,689

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,689 in Desamparados versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Desamparados $1,689
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,670 in Desamparados versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Desamparados $2,670
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,651 in Desamparados versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Desamparados $3,651
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Desamparados costs roughly 30% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Desamparados 25% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ₡5,498

$17.94 €15.96

-31.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 ₡23.5K

$68.1 €60.5

-22.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 ₡5,303

$13.28 €11.81

-10.99%

Cappuccino

$4.69 ₡2,101

$3.25 €2.89

44.31%

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

$2.39 ₡1,072

$3.01 €2.67

-20.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₡889

$1.87 €1.66

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 ₡1,617

$3.85 €3.42

-6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 ₡2,097

$4.48 €3.98

4.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,087

$1.29 €1.15

87.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 ₡1,217

$2.04 €1.81

32.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ₡954

$1.72 €1.53

23.84%

Eggs

$3.88 ₡1,740

$4.77 €4.24

-18.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.07 ₡5,412

$16.77 €14.92

-28.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,736

$8.93 €7.94

18.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 ₡6,279

$19.88 €17.68

-29.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 ₡2,200

$2.98 €2.65

64.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₡785

$2.03 €1.80

-13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 ₡1,617

$2.73 €2.43

32.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ₡1,454

$2.68 €2.38

20.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 ₡1,564

$2.10 €1.87

66.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 ₡1,493

$2.08 €1.85

60.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡469

$1.45 €1.29

-27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,283

$0.89 €0.79

221.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 ₡2,524

$6.94 €6.17

-18.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.39 ₡6,903

$7.78 €6.92

97.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₡1,015

$1.45 €1.29

55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₡1,273

$2.57 €2.29

10.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ₡594

$2.99 €2.66

-55.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 ₡1,008

$3.12 €2.77

-27.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 ₡788

$1.44 €1.28

22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.44 ₡3,337

$33.50 €29.80

-77.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.79 €1.59

-13.97%

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

$21.5K ₡9.6M

$34.6K €30.8K

-37.93%

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

$30.9K ₡13.9M

$30.1K €26.7K

2.79%

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

$97.5 ₡43.7K

$178 €158

-45.17%

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

$34.11 ₡15.3K

$13.32 €11.85

156.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 ₡25.2K

$34.88 €31.03

61.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.1 ₡31.0K

$53.3 €47.37

29.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 ₡3,571

$11.06 €9.84

-28.03%

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

$919 ₡412.2K

$957 €851

-3.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ₡6.7M

$16.6K €14.7K

-10.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$88.2 €78.4

-12.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$39.49 €35.12

54.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 ₡59.5K

$103 €91.5

29.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₡54.4K

$121 €108

-0.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$854 ₡383.1K

$1,653 €1,470

-48.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 ₡275.0K

$1,302 €1,158

-52.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,068 ₡927.3K

$2,557 €2,275

-19.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,243 ₡557.3K

$1,915 €1,703

-35.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

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 Desamparados: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Desamparados

$613 36.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 112% $688

Groceries & Markets

Desamparados

$375 22.2%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 14.7% $55

Eating Out

Desamparados

$235 13.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 15.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Desamparados

$188 11.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 20.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Desamparados

$176 10.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 10.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Desamparados

$85 5%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 11.4% $9.7

Getting Around

Desamparados

$16 * 1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 191% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $854 in Desamparados and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Desamparados vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $375 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

13:36 1:36 PM

8 h ahead of Desamparados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Desamparados Barcelona 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Desamparados
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

Desamparados vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Desamparados and Barcelona differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,689 vs $2,399 including rent). Desamparados is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,533 in Desamparados and $3,599 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $854 in Desamparados versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $919 in Desamparados versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Desamparados – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,689 in Desamparados versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Desamparados but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Desamparados the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Desamparados and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Desamparados 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.