Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Acquarossa

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,691 in Acquarossa, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Acquarossa
Learn more

Acquarossa Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Acquarossa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Acquarossa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,691 in Acquarossa.

Barcelona $2,443
Acquarossa $3,691

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $5,627 in Acquarossa.

Barcelona $3,519
Acquarossa $5,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $7,563 in Acquarossa.

Barcelona $4,595
Acquarossa $7,563

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 34% less than in Acquarossa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Acquarossa 173% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$34.45 CHF 28.23

-48.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$143 CHF 117

-52.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$18.05 CHF 14.79

-24.60%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$7.13 CHF 5.84

-56.52%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$5.77 CHF 4.73

-48.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$5.45 CHF 4.47

-64.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$9.40 CHF 7.70

-59.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$8.56 CHF 7.01

-49.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.14 CHF 1.75

-41.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$3.96 CHF 3.24

-46.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.76 CHF 3.08

-47.61%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$8.63 CHF 7.08

-44.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$26.42 CHF 21.65

-35.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$28.90 CHF 23.68

-69.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$59.8 CHF 49.04

-65.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$4.22 CHF 3.46

-25.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.83 CHF 2.32

-30.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.50 CHF 2.87

-24.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$4.51 CHF 3.69

-36.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.51 CHF 2.05

-17.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.30 CHF 1.89

-5.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.50 CHF 2.05

-38.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-24.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$11.02 CHF 9.03

-36.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$13.62 CHF 11.16

-42.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.94 CHF 2.41

-51.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.14 CHF 2.58

-14.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$4.58 CHF 3.75

-27.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$100 CHF 82.2

-74.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$7.95 CHF 6.52

-61.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$4.55 CHF 3.73

-67.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$89.7 CHF 73.5

-63.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.30 CHF 1.88

-18.70%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$38.8K CHF 31.8K

-14.99%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$39.3K CHF 32.2K

-18.73%

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

$183 €163

$279 CHF 228

-34.36%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$39.62 CHF 32.46

-64.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$54.1 CHF 44.30

-36.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$83.1 CHF 68.1

-38.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

$45.51 CHF 37.29

-64.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$24.06 CHF 19.72

-54.03%

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

$944 €842

$3,419 CHF 2,802

-72.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$40.8K CHF 33.4K

-45.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$141 CHF 116

-38.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$53.9 CHF 44.17

-28.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$159 CHF 130

-34.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$243 CHF 199

-51.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$1,822 CHF 1,493

-6.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$1,570 CHF 1,287

-14.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$2,892 CHF 2,370

-6.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$2,542 CHF 2,083

-18.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$15.0K CHF 12.3K

-52.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$11.0K CHF 9,040

-53.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

$12.0K CHF 9,843

-81.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

2.03

57.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Acquarossa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Acquarossa

$1.6K 42.5% 17.5% $234

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Acquarossa

$674 18.3% 106% $347

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Acquarossa

$524 14.2% 96.4% $257

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Acquarossa

$372 10.1% 60.7% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Acquarossa

$269 7.3% 71.4% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Acquarossa

$131 3.6% 78.5% $58

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Acquarossa

$149 4.1% 203% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,822 in Acquarossa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acquarossa pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $143 in Acquarossa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $674 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Acquarossa

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Acquarossa 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Acquarossa

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

Barcelona vs Acquarossa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Acquarossa. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Barcelona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,822 in Acquarossa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Acquarossa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $143 in Acquarossa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,691 in Acquarossa, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Acquarossa. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Acquarossa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.