Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Buochs

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,415 in Buochs, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Buochs
Learn more

Buochs Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Buochs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Buochs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,415 in Buochs.

Barcelona $2,443
Buochs $3,415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $5,026 in Buochs.

Barcelona $3,519
Buochs $5,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $6,637 in Buochs.

Barcelona $4,595
Buochs $6,637

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 28% less than in Buochs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Buochs 153% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$31.08 CHF 25.39

-43.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$121 CHF 98.7

-44.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$16.78 CHF 13.71

-18.89%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$5.91 CHF 4.83

-47.55%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$5.40 CHF 4.41

-44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$4.93 CHF 4.03

-60.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$8.79 CHF 7.18

-56.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$6.56 CHF 5.36

-33.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.22 CHF 1.82

-43.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.34 CHF 2.73

-36.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$4.25 CHF 3.48

-53.65%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$7.11 CHF 5.81

-33.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$26.50 CHF 21.65

-35.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$26.04 CHF 21.27

-65.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$41.18 CHF 33.64

-49.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.61 CHF 2.95

-12.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.09 CHF 1.71

-5.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.60 CHF 2.13

1.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$4.64 CHF 3.79

-37.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.03 CHF 1.66

1.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.31 CHF 1.89

-5.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.33 CHF 1.91

-34.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.11 CHF 0.91

-12.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$10.91 CHF 8.92

-36.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$12.12 CHF 9.90

-34.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.87 CHF 2.34

-50.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.05 CHF 2.50

-11.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.59 CHF 3.75

-27.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$99.9 CHF 81.6

-74.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$4.69 CHF 3.84

-34.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.91 CHF 2.38

-49.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$62.2 CHF 50.8

-47.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.25 CHF 1.84

-16.89%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$38.9K CHF 31.7K

-15.15%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$39.6K CHF 32.3K

-19.24%

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

$183 €162

$235 CHF 192

-22.12%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$29.28 CHF 23.92

-51.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$65.7 CHF 53.7

-47.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$79.1 CHF 64.6

-34.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

$46.35 CHF 37.87

-64.66%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$21.59 CHF 17.64

-48.77%

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

$944 €838

$1,546 CHF 1,263

-38.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$25.1K CHF 20.5K

-11.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$140 CHF 115

-37.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$89.6 CHF 73.2

-56.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$149 CHF 121

-29.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$172 CHF 141

-31.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$1,830 CHF 1,495

-7.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$1,533 CHF 1,252

-12.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$3,141 CHF 2,566

-14.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$2,234 CHF 1,825

-7.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$14.4K CHF 11.8K

-50.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$10.7K CHF 8,710

-52.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

1.72

85.47%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Buochs: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Buochs

$1.5K 44.9% 14.7% $196

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Buochs

$577 16.9% 75.9% $249

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Buochs

$468 13.7% 75.4% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Buochs

$330 9.7% 42.4% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Buochs

$248 7.3% 58% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Buochs

$122 3.6% 66.2% $49

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Buochs

$137 4% 179% $88

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,830 in Buochs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $121 in Buochs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $577 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Buochs

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

5,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Buochs 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Buochs

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 Buochs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $3,415 in Buochs, so Barcelona is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $5,123 in Buochs to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,830 in Buochs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,546 in Buochs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Buochs. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,415 in Buochs, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Buochs. 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 Buochs 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 28% less than in Buochs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.