Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arbon and Barcelona

Name: Barcelona
Address: Barcelona, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,464 per month in Arbon vs $2,399 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arbon $3,464
Barcelona $2,399

A couple spends around $5,192 per month in Arbon vs $3,410 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arbon $5,192
Barcelona $3,410

A family of three spends $6,920 per month in Arbon vs $4,421 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arbon $6,920
Barcelona $4,421

Arbon costs about 44% more than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arbon and Barcelona sit above the global median – Arbon by 157%, Barcelona by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.53 CHF 24.33

$17.94 €15.96

64.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 118

$68.1 €60.5

110.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.95 CHF 15.61

$13.28 €11.81

42.70%

Cappuccino

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$3.25 €2.89

88.00%

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

$5.74 CHF 4.73

$3.01 €2.67

90.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$1.87 €1.66

172.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.00 CHF 7.42

$3.85 €3.42

133.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$4.48 €3.98

37.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.29 €1.15

67.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$2.04 €1.81

54.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 CHF 3.12

$1.72 €1.53

120.35%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.49

$4.77 €4.24

65.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.14 CHF 20.71

$16.77 €14.92

49.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CHF 23.41

$8.93 €7.94

218.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.09 CHF 33.84

$19.88 €17.68

106.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$2.98 €2.65

14.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$2.03 €1.80

-1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$2.73 €2.43

-12.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$2.68 €2.38

97.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$2.10 €1.87

-2.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.08 €1.85

5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.45 €1.29

57.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$0.89 €0.79

37.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.77

$6.94 €6.17

53.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.47 CHF 13.57

$7.78 €6.92

111.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$1.45 €1.29

46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.57 €2.29

-12.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$2.99 €2.66

60.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 CHF 79.1

$25.20 €22.41

281.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$3.12 €2.77

108.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$1.44 €1.28

228.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.17 CHF 29.79

$33.50 €29.80

7.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$1.79 €1.59

27.93%

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

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

-0.52%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$30.1K €26.7K

30.66%

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

$275 CHF 227

$178 €158

54.84%

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

$38.11 CHF 31.39

$13.32 €11.85

186.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CHF 44.78

$34.88 €31.03

55.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.1

$53.3 €47.37

69.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.06 CHF 32.17

$16.01 €14.24

143.97%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.29

$11.06 €9.84

111.84%

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

$2,250 CHF 1,853

$957 €851

135.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

$16.6K €14.7K

89.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$88.2 €78.4

62.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 CHF 53.6

$39.49 €35.12

64.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$103 €91.5

39.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 CHF 146

$121 €108

46.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,286

$1,653 €1,470

-5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CHF 1,253

$1,302 €1,158

16.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 CHF 2,392

$2,557 €2,275

13.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 CHF 1,912

$1,915 €1,703

21.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

$7,286 €6,481

91.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$5,080 €4,519

168.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$11.1K CHF 9,124

$2,281 €2,029

385.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

3.28

-42.07%

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

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 14.4% $219

Groceries & Markets

Arbon

$588 17%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 45.6% $268

Eating Out

Arbon

$467 13.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 42.2% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arbon

$368 10.6%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 38.5% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Arbon

$238 6.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 33.5% $80

Getting Around

Arbon

$145 4.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 67.4% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Arbon

$137 4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 44.9% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Arbon versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 386% higher in Arbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Arbon versus $68.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $588 vs $320 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Arbon

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

Same time as Arbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,853

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

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

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arbon Barcelona 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arbon
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

Arbon vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,464 in Arbon, $2,399 in Barcelona – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Arbon and $3,599 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barcelona, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,464 in Arbon and $2,399 in Barcelona. That's a gap of about 44%.

Public transport costs about 281% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,464 in Arbon and $2,399 in Barcelona. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,399 in Barcelona to $3,464 in Arbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Barcelona. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.