Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Chur

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,283 in Chur, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
158

Cost of Living Index in Chur
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Chur Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Chur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Chur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,283 in Chur.

Barcelona $2,453
Chur $3,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $5,109 in Chur.

Barcelona $3,509
Chur $5,109

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $6,934 in Chur.

Barcelona $4,564
Chur $6,934

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 25% less than in Chur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Chur 141% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$29.44 CHF 24.28

-40.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$111 CHF 91.4

-39.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$15.99 CHF 13.19

-15.38%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.67 CHF 4.68

-43.74%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-47.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$5.08 CHF 4.19

-62.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$8.69 CHF 7.16

-53.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$8.68 CHF 7.16

-47.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-39.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-40.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.22 CHF 3.48

-56.16%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$7.59 CHF 6.26

-36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$26.51 CHF 21.87

-36.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$26.64 CHF 21.98

-65.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$39.08 CHF 32.24

-49.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-12.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.13 CHF 1.75

-5.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.68 CHF 2.21

0.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.58 CHF 3.78

-38.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.89 CHF 1.56

10.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-5.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.36 CHF 1.95

-38.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.36 CHF 1.12

-30.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$10.94 CHF 9.03

-37.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$12.75 CHF 10.52

-38.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.38 CHF 1.96

-40.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.40 CHF 2.80

-25.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$5.47 CHF 4.52

-42.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$184 CHF 152

-86.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$7.46 CHF 6.16

-59.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$4.94 CHF 4.08

-69.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$88.7 CHF 73.2

-62.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-18.92%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-15.04%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

-17.62%

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

$180 €162

$232 CHF 191

-22.27%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$31.60 CHF 26.07

-56.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$53.8 CHF 44.39

-37.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$78.3 CHF 64.6

-34.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$33.63 CHF 27.74

-52.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$23.22 CHF 19.15

-52.67%

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

$917 €821

$2,413 CHF 1,990

-62.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$44.9K CHF 37.0K

-63.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$91.1 CHF 75.2

-4.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$48.03 CHF 39.62

-19.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$120 CHF 98.9

-11.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$169 CHF 139

-29.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,715 CHF 1,414

-0.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,379 CHF 1,137

-1.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$3,015 CHF 2,487

-13.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$2,550 CHF 2,104

-19.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$7,109 CHF 5,864

-2.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$5,446 CHF 4,492

-5.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$8,497 CHF 7,009

-73.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

1.72

90.70%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chur: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Chur

$1.4K 42% 1.7% $23

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Chur

$576 17.6% 79.1% $255

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Chur

$455 13.9% 69.7% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Chur

$318 9.7% 39.3% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Chur

$193 5.9% 22% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Chur

$125 3.8% 69.7% $51

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Chur

$238 7.3% 392% $190

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,715 in Chur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chur pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $111 in Chur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $576 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Chur

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

37,082

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Chur 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Chur

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 Chur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $3,283 in Chur, so Barcelona is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,715 in Chur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,413 in Chur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Chur. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,283 in Chur, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Chur. 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 Chur are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Chur on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.