Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,575 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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 Cham
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Cham Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Cham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,575 in Cham.

Barcelona $2,453
Cham $3,575

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $5,453 in Cham.

Barcelona $3,509
Cham $5,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $7,331 in Cham.

Barcelona $4,564
Cham $7,331

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 31% less than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Cham 163% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$29.74 CHF 24.67

-40.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$122 CHF 101

-44.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$17.93 CHF 14.87

-24.54%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$5.82 CHF 4.83

-45.19%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$5.32 CHF 4.42

-45.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$4.87 CHF 4.04

-61.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$8.45 CHF 7.01

-52.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$6.53 CHF 5.42

-30.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-38.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.76 CHF 3.12

-46.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.62 CHF 3.00

-48.90%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$7.27 CHF 6.03

-33.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$26.38 CHF 21.88

-36.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$28.65 CHF 23.77

-68.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$42.06 CHF 34.89

-53.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.91 CHF 3.25

-23.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-6.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$3.10 CHF 2.57

-12.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.58 CHF 3.80

-38.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.25 CHF 1.87

-7.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-7.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.39 CHF 1.98

-38.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.11 CHF 0.92

-15.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$11.02 CHF 9.15

-37.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$12.08 CHF 10.02

-34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.82 CHF 2.34

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.10 CHF 2.58

-18.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$5.13 CHF 4.26

-38.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$146 CHF 121

-82.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$4.44 CHF 3.69

-32.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.96 CHF 2.45

-49.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$59.7 CHF 49.49

-44.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.19 CHF 1.82

-17.81%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

-16.34%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

-20.58%

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

$180 €162

$286 CHF 237

-36.92%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$29.15 CHF 24.18

-52.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$54.8 CHF 45.49

-38.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$85.3 CHF 70.7

-39.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$40.01 CHF 33.19

-60.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$22.10 CHF 18.34

-50.27%

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

$917 €823

$1,488 CHF 1,234

-38.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

-33.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$137 CHF 114

-36.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$54.0 CHF 44.76

-28.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$157 CHF 130

-32.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$249 CHF 206

-51.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,780 CHF 1,477

-4.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,566 CHF 1,299

-13.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,896 CHF 2,402

-10.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$2,704 CHF 2,243

-23.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

-46.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$11.7K CHF 9,730

-56.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.03

61.58%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Cham

$1.6K 43.8% 15.6% $211

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Cham

$597 16.7% 85.6% $275

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Cham

$458 12.8% 70.8% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Cham

$370 10.4% 62.3% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Cham

$268 7.5% 70% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cham

$129 3.6% 76.1% $56

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cham

$186 5.2% 283% $137

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,780 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $122 in Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $597 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

17,060

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 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 Cham 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Cham

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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Cham differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $3,575 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $5,362 in Cham 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,780 in Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,488 in Cham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,575 in Cham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Cham. 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 Cham 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 31% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.