Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Buchs

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $3,009 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Buchs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $3,009 in Buchs.

Barcelona $2,381
Buchs $3,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $4,535 in Buchs.

Barcelona $3,406
Buchs $4,535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $6,062 in Buchs.

Barcelona $4,431
Buchs $6,062

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 21% less than in Buchs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Buchs 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$23.43 CHF 19.30

-23.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$84.3 CHF 69.4

-21.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$15.36 CHF 12.65

-10.87%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.71 CHF 3.88

-35.03%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.77 CHF 3.10

-18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$3.20 CHF 2.63

-39.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.13 CHF 5.04

-36.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-14.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-35.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-46.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$4.64 CHF 3.82

-60.56%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$7.32 CHF 6.03

-36.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$32.21 CHF 26.53

-46.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$18.51 CHF 15.24

-49.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$32.47 CHF 26.74

-38.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.53 CHF 2.91

-14.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-5.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-15.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$6.70 CHF 5.52

-57.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.78 CHF 1.46

21.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.54 CHF 2.10

-15.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-39.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.21 CHF 1.00

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$10.84 CHF 8.92

-36.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$12.70 CHF 10.46

-38.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-57.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.91 CHF 3.22

-32.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$5.17 CHF 4.25

-43.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$5.36 CHF 4.42

-44.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.46 CHF 2.85

-58.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$61.2 CHF 50.4

-45.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-16.59%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

-23.98%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-19.88%

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

$183 €163

$184 CHF 152

-0.89%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$31.24 CHF 25.73

-56.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$67.2 CHF 55.4

-51.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.20 CHF 12.52

-26.12%

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

$954 €849

$611 CHF 503

56.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

-19.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$107 CHF 88.0

-19.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$23.70 CHF 19.52

65.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$95.2 CHF 78.4

8.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$170 CHF 140

-30.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,828 CHF 1,505

-7.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,561 CHF 1,285

-18.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,690 CHF 2,216

-4.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$2,746 CHF 2,261

-29.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$8,480 CHF 6,984

-73.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

1.93

69.95%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9% 22.3% $284

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Buchs

$555 18.4% 70.7% $230

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Buchs

$359 11.9% 33.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Buchs

$283 9.4% 23.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Buchs

$178 5.9% 13.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Buchs

$30 * 1% 60.6% $47

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Buchs

$43 * 1.4% 8.5% $4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,828 in Buchs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 281% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $84.0 in Buchs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $555 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Buchs

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

12,187

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Buchs 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Buchs

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 Buchs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Buchs differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $3,009 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 281% lower in Buchs. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,828 in Buchs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $611 in Buchs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $84.0 in Buchs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona 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, Barcelona and Buchs are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Buchs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.