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

🙂 Solo nomad: San Jose is 0.6% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 32% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: San Jose is 6% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 23.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Jose
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 ₡5,385
$17.41 €15.03
-38.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59 ₡29.5K
$68.7 €59.3
-14.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.85 ₡4,931
$13.71 €11.84
-28.15%
Cappuccino
$3.88 ₡1,942
$2.78 €2.4
39.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 ₡983
$2.8 €2.42
-30.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₡794
$1.98 €1.71
-19.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.04 ₡1,522
$4.43 €3.83
-31.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.59 ₡2,300
$4.53 €3.91
1.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Jose
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.02 ₡1,013
$1.24 €1.07
62.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.88 ₡1,443
$2.03 €1.75
41.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.13 ₡1,067
$1.98 €1.71
7.58%
Eggs
$2.94 ₡1,472
$3.46 €2.99
-15.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.69 ₡4,852
$18.32 €15.82
-47.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.22 ₡4,617
$9.82 €8.47
-6.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.64 ₡6,831
$19.24 €16.61
-29.11%
Apples (1kg)
$4.47 ₡2,238
$2.61 €2.25
71.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 ₡728
$2.34 €2.02
-38.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.38 ₡2,192
$2.11 €1.82
107.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.55 ₡1,779
$2.77 €2.39
28.16%
Potato (1kg)
$3.55 ₡1,777
$2.04 €1.76
74.02%
Onion (1kg)
$3.25 ₡1,628
$1.77 €1.53
83.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 ₡519
$1.5 €1.3
-30.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.8 ₡1,403
$0.85 €0.73
229.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.43 ₡2,716
$7 €6.04
-22.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.98 ₡9,503
$7.13 €6.16
166.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.41 ₡1,205
$1.43 €1.24
68.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 ₡1,461
$2.29 €1.98
27.51%
🚌 Getting Around
San Jose
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1 ₡501
$3.02 €2.6
-66.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.57 ₡20.8K
$28.97 €25.01
43.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.88 ₡939
$4.59 €3.96
-59.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.86 ₡930
$2.02 €1.74
-7.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.8 ₡3,904
$29.56 €25.53
-73.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.4 ₡699
$1.81 €1.56
-22.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.7K ₡18.9M
$38.4K €33.1K
-1.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.7K ₡16.4M
$32.4K €28K
1.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Jose
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.9 ₡46.5K
$190 €164
-51.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.98 ₡13K
$22.18 €19.15
17.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.2 ₡30.1K
$36.37 €31.4
65.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Jose
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.2 ₡28.2K
$57.4 €49.55
-2.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$38.51 ₡19.3K
$20.95 €18.09
83.82%
Cinema Ticket
$9.89 ₡4,953
$10.8 €9.33
-8.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Jose
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$567 ₡283.6K
$732 €632
-22.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K ₡6.4M
$15.1K €13.1K
-15.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Jose
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.5 ₡31.8K
$86.8 €74.9
-26.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.8 ₡25.4K
$36.78 €31.76
38.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 ₡62.6K
$102 €88.2
22.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 ₡53.7K
$117 €101
-8.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Jose
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$865 ₡433K
$1,581 €1,365
-45.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$536 ₡268.3K
$1,230 €1,062
-56.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,427 ₡714.5K
$2,707 €2,337
-47.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,034 ₡517.9K
$2,028 €1,751
-48.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,869 ₡1.4M
$6,602 €5,700
-56.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,697 ₡849.3K
$5,045 €4,356
-66.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Jose
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$996 ₡498.4K
$2,198 €1,898
-54.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.17
3.39
200.00%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 29, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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