Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Embrach

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,563 in Embrach, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Embrach
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Embrach Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Embrach

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Embrach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,563 in Embrach.

Barcelona $2,443
Embrach $3,563

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $5,363 in Embrach.

Barcelona $3,519
Embrach $5,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $7,163 in Embrach.

Barcelona $4,595
Embrach $7,163

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Embrach 164% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$30.30 CHF 24.78

-41.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$124 CHF 101

-45.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$18.53 CHF 15.15

-26.55%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$6.21 CHF 5.08

-50.08%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$5.43 CHF 4.44

-44.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$4.82 CHF 3.95

-59.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$8.91 CHF 7.29

-56.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$7.23 CHF 5.91

-39.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.15 CHF 1.76

-41.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.84 CHF 3.14

-44.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.33 CHF 2.73

-40.84%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$7.93 CHF 6.49

-39.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$29.57 CHF 24.18

-42.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$28.12 CHF 23.00

-68.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$41.77 CHF 34.16

-50.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$3.50 CHF 2.87

-9.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.06 CHF 1.68

-4.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.86 CHF 2.34

-7.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$4.13 CHF 3.37

-30.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.69 CHF 1.38

21.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.33 CHF 1.91

-6.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.30 CHF 1.88

-33.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.28 CHF 1.04

-24.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$9.54 CHF 7.80

-26.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

$12.34 CHF 10.09

-36.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.81 CHF 2.30

-49.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.08 CHF 2.52

-12.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$4.97 CHF 4.06

-33.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

$103 CHF 84.5

-75.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$7.07 CHF 5.79

-56.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$4.56 CHF 3.73

-67.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

$87.0 CHF 71.1

-62.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.28 CHF 1.86

-17.98%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$43.5K CHF 35.6K

-24.20%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$35.7K CHF 29.2K

-10.54%

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

$183 €163

$284 CHF 232

-35.55%

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

$14.24 €12.69

$32.92 CHF 26.93

-56.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

$56.0 CHF 45.81

-38.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$84.5 CHF 69.1

-39.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

$45.47 CHF 37.19

-63.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$23.65 CHF 19.34

-53.23%

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

$944 €841

$2,564 CHF 2,097

-63.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$36.7K CHF 30.0K

-39.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$147 CHF 120

-40.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

$66.1 CHF 54.0

-41.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$161 CHF 132

-35.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$188 CHF 153

-37.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

$1,805 CHF 1,477

-6.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$1,580 CHF 1,292

-15.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$3,024 CHF 2,473

-10.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$2,573 CHF 2,104

-19.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

$15.0K CHF 12.3K

-52.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$11.0K CHF 9,008

-53.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

$6,698 CHF 5,479

-66.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

2.03

57.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Embrach: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Embrach

$1.6K 44.3% 18.2% $243

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Embrach

$601 16.9% 83.3% $273

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Embrach

$473 13.3% 77% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Embrach

$373 10.5% 60.9% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Embrach

$253 7.1% 61.2% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Embrach

$132 3.7% 79.1% $58

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Embrach

$153 4.3% 210% $104

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,805 in Embrach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Embrach pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $124 in Embrach for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $601 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Embrach

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

9,300

💱 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 Embrach 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Embrach

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 Embrach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $3,563 in Embrach, so Barcelona is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,805 in Embrach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $2,564 in Embrach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Embrach. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,563 in Embrach, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Embrach. 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 Embrach 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 31% less than in Embrach. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.