Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Le Bardo and Cartago

For one person, living is cheaper in Le Bardo: $696 a month against $1,713 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Le Bardo
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$696
/mo nomad
Cartago
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,713
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Le Bardo and in Cartago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $696 in Le Bardo versus $1,713 in Cartago.

  • Le Bardo $696
  • Cartago $1,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,090 in Le Bardo versus $2,362 in Cartago.

  • Le Bardo $1,090
  • Cartago $2,362

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,484 in Le Bardo versus $3,011 in Cartago.

  • Le Bardo $1,484
  • Cartago $3,011

Living in Le Bardo costs roughly 59% less than in Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Le Bardo is 48% below, Cartago is 27% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Le Bardo
Cartago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.96 TND 11.87
$8.64 ₡3,875
-54.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.90 TND 68.6
$34.53 ₡15.5K
-33.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.60 TND 13.79
$9.92 ₡4,449
-53.63%
Cappuccino
$1.32 TND 3.95
$4.54 ₡2,036
-70.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 TND 1.98
$2.13 ₡955
-69.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 TND 0.77
$1.36 ₡610
-80.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.70 TND 5.08
$2.15 ₡964
-20.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 TND 7.16
$4.06 ₡1,820
-41.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Le Bardo
Cartago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.52 TND 1.57
$2.39 ₡1,073
-78.24%
White Bread (500g)
$0.19 TND 0.58
$2.37 ₡1,065
-91.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 TND 5.08
$2.47 ₡1,110
-31.17%
Eggs
$1.50 TND 4.50
$3.57 ₡1,601
-57.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.34 TND 30.97
$8.61 ₡3,860
20.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.93 TND 17.76
$10.38 ₡4,654
-42.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.00 TND 44.93
$13.94 ₡6,252
7.60%
Apples (1kg)
$1.59 TND 4.76
$5.24 ₡2,351
-69.66%
Banana (1kg)
$4.45 TND 13.32
$1.29 ₡579
244.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.12 TND 3.34
$4.49 ₡2,014
-75.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.93 TND 2.77
$2.91 ₡1,307
-68.04%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 TND 2.88
$2.24 ₡1,004
-57.14%
Onion (1kg)
$0.80 TND 2.38
$2.17 ₡972
-63.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.50 TND 1.48
$1.09 ₡487
-54.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 TND 0.92
$2.18 ₡977
-85.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.42 TND 10.25
$6.07 ₡2,722
-43.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.00 TND 14.98
$15.16 ₡6,797
-67.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 TND 3.80
$2.89 ₡1,296
-56.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 TND 4.12
$2.03 ₡912
-32.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Le Bardo
Cartago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 TND 1.03
$1.37 ₡613
-75.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.89 TND 29.62
$73.2 ₡32.8K
-86.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.32 TND 0.96
$1.33 ₡598
-75.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 TND 0.99
$1.56 ₡702
-78.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.86 TND 5.58
$8.95 ₡4,015
-79.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 TND 2.48
$1.51 ₡677
-45.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.8K TND 110.3K
$21.7K ₡9.7M
69.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.7K TND 106.8K
$35.1K ₡15.7M
1.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Le Bardo
Cartago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.1 TND 183
$52.4 ₡23.5K
16.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.42 TND 31.22
$35.12 ₡15.8K
-70.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.51 TND 61.4
$59.9 ₡26.8K
-65.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Le Bardo
Cartago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.66 TND 125
$73.8 ₡33.1K
-43.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.13 TND 36.34
$77.8 ₡34.9K
-84.40%
Cinema Ticket
$5.34 TND 16.00
$7.27 ₡3,262
-26.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Le Bardo
Cartago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$67.2 TND 201
$549 ₡246.2K
-87.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,799 TND 8,383
$7,878 ₡3.5M
-64.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Le Bardo
Cartago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.47 TND 130
$70.1 ₡31.5K
-38.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.88 TND 110
$56.5 ₡25.3K
-34.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.1 TND 219
$121 ₡54.4K
-39.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.7 TND 263
$87.7 ₡39.3K
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Le Bardo
Cartago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$245 TND 733
$923 ₡414.2K
-73.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$153 TND 458
$704 ₡315.9K
-78.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$396 TND 1,187
$1,869 ₡838.0K
-78.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$252 TND 755
$724 ₡324.7K
-65.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$961 TND 2,879
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$616 TND 1,844
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Le Bardo
Cartago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$382 TND 1,145
$1,344 ₡602.9K
-71.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.28
8.62
19.26%

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

Last update for Le Bardo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Le Bardo
$199
Cartago
$348 75.3% $150
Accommodation & Living
Le Bardo
$153
Cartago
$704 360% $551
Clothing & Footwear
Le Bardo
$109
Cartago
$151 39.1% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Le Bardo
$92
Cartago
$147 60.3% $55
Eating Out
Le Bardo
$78
Cartago
$186 138% $108
Sport & Entertainment
Le Bardo
$52
Cartago
$88 68.7% $36
Getting Around
Le Bardo
$13
Cartago
$88 563% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $245 in Le Bardo and $923 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays 252% 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: $23.00 in Le Bardo vs $35.00 in Cartago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $348 per month, with Le Bardo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇳 Le Bardo
🇨🇷 Cartago
🕒 Local time
11:04 11:04 AM
04:04 4:04 AM
7 h behind Le Bardo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
71,961
110,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Le Bardo Cartago 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Le Bardo
  • Cartago

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
Le Bardo vs Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cartago cheaper than Le Bardo?
Le Bardo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 146% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Le Bardo or Cartago?
On paper, salaries run 252% 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.
What is the rent difference between Le Bardo and Cartago?
Rent for a central apartment: $245 in Le Bardo versus $923 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Le Bardo runs roughly 640% less than in Cartago. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $67.2 in Le Bardo versus $549 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Le Bardo or in Cartago?
At $696 in Le Bardo versus $1,713 in Cartago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Le Bardo but tight or insufficient in Cartago. The gap between the two cities makes Le Bardo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Le Bardo or in Cartago?
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.
Which city is safer, Le Bardo or Cartago?
Safety-wise, Le Bardo and Cartago are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Le Bardo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Cartago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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