Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,763 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
172

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arbon

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 Arbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,443 per month in Barcelona vs $3,763 in Arbon, rent included.

Barcelona $2,443
Arbon $3,763

A couple spends around $3,519 per month in Barcelona vs $5,707 in Arbon, rent included.

Barcelona $3,519
Arbon $5,707

A family of three spends $4,595 per month in Barcelona vs $7,651 in Arbon, rent included.

Barcelona $4,595
Arbon $7,651

Barcelona is about 35% cheaper than Arbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Barcelona and Arbon sit above the global median – Barcelona by 81%, Arbon by 178%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$30.86 CHF 25.19

-42.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$144 CHF 117

-53.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$19.65 CHF 16.04

-30.74%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$5.98 CHF 4.88

-48.16%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$5.82 CHF 4.75

-48.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$5.11 CHF 4.17

-62.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$9.19 CHF 7.50

-58.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$6.25 CHF 5.11

-30.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-43.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.12 CHF 2.55

-32.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.68 CHF 3.00

-46.47%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$8.00 CHF 6.53

-40.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$25.26 CHF 20.62

-32.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$28.83 CHF 23.54

-68.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$41.88 CHF 34.19

-50.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.48 CHF 2.84

-9.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.03 CHF 1.66

-2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.43 CHF 1.98

9.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$5.44 CHF 4.44

-47.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.04 CHF 1.67

0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.12 CHF 1.73

2.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.32 CHF 1.89

-34.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.20 CHF 0.98

-19.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$11.07 CHF 9.04

-37.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$16.77 CHF 13.69

-52.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.25 CHF 1.84

-36.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.34 CHF 1.91

14.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.96 CHF 4.05

-33.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

$100 CHF 82.0

-74.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$6.88 CHF 5.61

-55.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$4.89 CHF 3.99

-69.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$36.81 CHF 30.05

-10.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.37 CHF 1.93

-21.10%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$40.1K CHF 32.7K

-17.78%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$40.3K CHF 32.9K

-20.67%

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

$183 €163

$321 CHF 262

-42.98%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$38.33 CHF 31.29

-62.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$54.5 CHF 44.52

-36.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$90.8 CHF 74.2

-43.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

$41.46 CHF 33.85

-60.49%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$24.19 CHF 19.75

-54.28%

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

$944 €840

$2,284 CHF 1,865

-58.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$33.0K CHF 26.9K

-32.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$146 CHF 119

-39.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$65.1 CHF 53.1

-40.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$144 CHF 118

-27.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$187 CHF 152

-37.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$2,023 CHF 1,652

-16.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$1,740 CHF 1,420

-23.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$2,949 CHF 2,408

-8.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$2,929 CHF 2,392

-29.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

$14.0K CHF 11.4K

-48.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

$11.5K CHF 9,391

-55.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

$11.3K CHF 9,239

-80.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

1.9

67.89%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arbon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Arbon

$1.7K 46.2% 30.1% $403

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Arbon

$595 15.8% 81.7% $268

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Arbon

$480 12.8% 79.7% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Arbon

$414 11% 78.5% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Arbon

$244 6.5% 55.5% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Arbon

$139 3.7% 89.3% $66

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Arbon

$152 4% 207% $102

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,697 in Barcelona versus $2,023 in Arbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arbon are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $144 in Arbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $595 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

15,853

💱 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 Arbon 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Arbon

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 Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona, $3,763 in Arbon – Barcelona comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,664 per month in Barcelona and $5,645 in Arbon. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,697 there versus $2,023 in Arbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $3,763 in Arbon. That makes Barcelona about 35% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Barcelona, where all-in costs run around $2,443, than in Arbon at $3,763. In Barcelona it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Barcelona – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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