Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Barcelona

🙂 Solo nomad: San José is 12.1% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 57.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: San José is 16.1% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 52.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San José
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.87 UYU 652
$17.41 €15.03
-8.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.1 UYU 2,222
$68.7 €59.3
-21.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.18 UYU 460
$13.71 €11.84
-18.45%
Cappuccino
$4.26 UYU 175
$2.78 €2.4
53.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 UYU 89
$2.8 €2.42
-22.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 UYU 72.6
$1.98 €1.71
-10.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.33 UYU 178
$4.43 €3.83
-2.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 UYU 154
$4.53 €3.91
-17.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San José
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.99 UYU 40.62
$1.24 €1.07
-20.16%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 UYU 78.6
$2.03 €1.75
-5.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.46 UYU 59.8
$1.98 €1.71
-26.26%
Eggs
$2.51 UYU 103
$3.46 €2.99
-27.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.42 UYU 510
$18.32 €15.82
-32.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.13 UYU 293
$9.82 €8.47
-27.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.19 UYU 460
$19.24 €16.61
-41.84%
Apples (1kg)
$1.19 UYU 49.1
$2.61 €2.25
-54.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 UYU 61
$2.34 €2.02
-36.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.19 UYU 49
$2.11 €1.82
-43.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 UYU 61.3
$2.77 €2.39
-46.21%
Potato (1kg)
$0.93 UYU 38.35
$2.04 €1.76
-54.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.2 UYU 49.51
$1.77 €1.53
-32.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 UYU 54.4
$1.5 €1.3
-12.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 UYU 68.2
$0.85 €0.73
95.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.01 UYU 206
$7 €6.04
-28.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.91 UYU 407
$7.13 €6.16
38.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 UYU 96.5
$1.43 €1.24
64.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 UYU 124
$2.29 €1.98
31.44%
🚌 Getting Around
San José
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 UYU 50.9
$3.02 €2.6
-58.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.32 UYU 1,780
$28.97 €25.01
49.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.49 UYU 61.4
$4.59 €3.96
-67.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 UYU 63.9
$2.02 €1.74
-22.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.22 UYU 461
$29.56 €25.53
-62.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 UYU 74.9
$1.81 €1.56
0.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K UYU 1.4M
$38.4K €33.1K
-10.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K UYU 1.5M
$32.4K €28K
13.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San José
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 UYU 7,055
$190 €164
-9.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.75 UYU 688
$22.18 €19.15
-24.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49 UYU 2,014
$36.37 €31.4
34.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San José
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$57.4 €49.55
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$20.95 €18.09
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.6 UYU 435
$10.8 €9.33
-1.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San José
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$483 UYU 19.9K
$732 €632
-33.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,821 UYU 362.5K
$15.1K €13.1K
-41.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San José
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.7 UYU 3,768
$86.8 €74.9
5.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.8 UYU 1,923
$36.78 €31.76
27.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 UYU 4,739
$102 €88.2
12.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 UYU 5,072
$117 €101
5.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San José
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,581 €1,365
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,230 €1,062
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,707 €2,337
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,028 €1,751
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,602 €5,700
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$5,045 €4,356
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
San José
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,198 €1,898
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.68
3.39
67.55%

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

Last update for San José: October 28, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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