Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valencia and Cartagena, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,425 a month against $2,092 in Valencia, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Valencia
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Valencia Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Valencia

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,092

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valencia and in Cartagena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,092 in Valencia versus $1,425 in Cartagena.

Valencia $2,092
Cartagena $1,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,017 in Valencia versus $2,101 in Cartagena.

Valencia $3,017
Cartagena $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,942 in Valencia versus $2,778 in Cartagena.

Valencia $3,942
Cartagena $2,778

Living in Valencia is roughly 47% more expensive than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valencia 54% above, Cartagena 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.72 €16.77

$13.84 €12.40

35.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €59.1

$56.2 €50.3

17.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.11 €10.84

$7.95 €7.12

52.33%

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.43

$2.47 €2.21

10.12%

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

$2.49 €2.23

$2.56 €2.30

-2.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.82 €1.63

14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.97

$3.42 €3.06

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €4.10

$3.86 €3.46

18.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.22 €1.09

-1.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.19 €1.06

13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.63 €2.35

-32.32%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.04

$3.96 €3.54

-14.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 €9.60

$12.82 €11.48

-16.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 €6.95

$6.71 €6.01

15.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.88 €14.22

$18.75 €16.79

-15.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$2.37 €2.12

3.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.45 €2.19

-22.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.58 €1.42

15.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.38

$3.20 €2.87

-16.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.28 €1.14

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.26 €1.13

47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.53 €1.37

-24.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.69 €0.62

15.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.99

$5.71 €5.11

17.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.05

$6.30 €5.64

-10.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.21 €1.08

10.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.17 €1.05

40.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.48 €1.32

47.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.70 €34.66

$11.08 €9.93

249.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €4.02

$5.65 €5.06

-20.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 €1.15

$2.23 €2.00

-42.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.48 €21.03

$27.72 €24.83

-15.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.77 €1.59

1.69%

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

$33.8K €30.3K

$34.6K €30.9K

-2.20%

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

$31.3K €28.1K

$29.9K €26.7K

4.92%

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

$155 €139

$211 €189

-26.70%

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

$15.96 €14.30

$19.43 €17.40

-17.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.43 €29.94

$29.27 €26.21

14.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.25 €36.05

$41.23 €36.92

-2.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.70 €7.79

$12.81 €11.47

-32.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 €9.67

$7.72 €6.91

39.90%

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

$573 €513

$406 €364

41.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,639 €8,633

$2,651 €2,374

263.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.5

$46.46 €41.61

100.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.41 €37.98

$34.88 €31.24

21.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 €85.8

$60.6 €54.2

58.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$101 €90.5

14.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,315

$596 €534

146.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 €981

$490 €439

123.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,331 €2,088

$872 €781

167.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,481

$720 €644

129.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,549 €4,969

$1,737 €1,556

219.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,319 €2,972

$1,427 €1,278

132.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,854 €1,660

$1,704 €1,526

8.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.41

4.06

-16.01%

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

Last update for Valencia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valencia

$1.1K 52.4%

Cartagena

$490 34.4% 55.3% $606

Eating Out

Valencia

$263 12.6%

Cartagena

$207 14.5% 21.4% $56

Groceries & Markets

Valencia

$253 12.1%

Cartagena

$269 18.9% 6.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valencia

$204 9.8%

Cartagena

$260 18.2% 27.3% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Valencia

$156 7.5%

Cartagena

$109 7.7% 30% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Valencia

$62 3%

Cartagena

$57 4% 8.4% $5.2

Getting Around

Valencia

$58 2.8%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 42.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,468 in Valencia and $596 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valencia pays 9% 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: $66 in Valencia vs $56 in Cartagena. Groceries flip the comparison at $253 vs $269, with Valencia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Valencia

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

Same time as Valencia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

807,693

218,050

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Valencia Cartagena 210 km

From you

Valencia
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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

Valencia vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Valencia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Valencia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,468 in Valencia versus $596 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $56 versus $66 in Valencia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,092 per month in Valencia versus $1,425 in Cartagena – Cartagena is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cartagena is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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