Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kriens

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,154 in Kriens, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
160

Cost of Living Index in Kriens
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Kriens Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Kriens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kriens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,154 in Kriens.

Barcelona $2,443
Kriens $3,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,836 in Kriens.

Barcelona $3,519
Kriens $4,836

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $6,518 in Kriens.

Barcelona $4,595
Kriens $6,518

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 23% less than in Kriens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Kriens 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$29.66 CHF 24.21

-40.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$106 CHF 86.4

-36.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$18.11 CHF 14.79

-24.85%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$5.92 CHF 4.83

-47.64%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$5.13 CHF 4.19

-41.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$4.78 CHF 3.91

-59.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$6.05 CHF 4.94

-36.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$7.17 CHF 5.86

-39.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.06 CHF 1.68

-39.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.68 CHF 3.00

-42.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.72 CHF 2.22

-27.57%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$7.91 CHF 6.45

-39.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$27.84 CHF 22.73

-38.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$31.26 CHF 25.52

-71.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$41.79 CHF 34.12

-50.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.00 CHF 2.45

5.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.80 CHF 1.47

9.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.46 CHF 2.01

7.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$5.44 CHF 4.44

-47.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.75 CHF 1.43

17.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.05 CHF 1.67

6.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.28 CHF 1.86

-32.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.36 CHF 1.11

-28.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$10.91 CHF 8.91

-36.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$10.20 CHF 8.33

-22.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.59 CHF 2.11

-45.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.84 CHF 2.32

-5.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.51 CHF 3.68

-26.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

$87.4 CHF 71.4

-70.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$7.13 CHF 5.82

-56.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$5.94 CHF 4.85

-75.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$36.66 CHF 29.93

-10.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.40 CHF 1.96

-22.08%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-17.36%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$39.2K CHF 32.0K

-18.57%

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

$183 €163

$124 CHF 101

47.63%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$37.81 CHF 30.87

-62.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$56.9 CHF 46.48

-39.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$73.9 CHF 60.4

-30.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

$40.83 CHF 33.34

-59.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$21.90 CHF 17.88

-49.50%

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

$944 €840

$3,213 CHF 2,623

-70.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$41.4K CHF 33.8K

-46.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$90.1 CHF 73.6

-2.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$68.8 CHF 56.2

-43.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$110 CHF 89.6

-4.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$172 CHF 140

-31.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$1,965 CHF 1,604

-13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$1,428 CHF 1,166

-6.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$2,559 CHF 2,089

5.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$2,380 CHF 1,943

-12.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

-46.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

$9,706 CHF 7,924

-47.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

1.9

67.89%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kriens: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Kriens

$1.4K 45.3% 6.8% $91

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Kriens

$602 19.1% 83.6% $274

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Kriens

$447 14.2% 67.4% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Kriens

$219 6.9% 5.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Kriens

$198 6.3% 26.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Kriens

$118 3.7% 60.1% $44

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Kriens

$142 4.5% 188% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,965 in Kriens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $106 in Kriens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $602 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Kriens

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

25,932

💱 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 Kriens 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Kriens

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 Kriens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $3,154 in Kriens, so Barcelona is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $4,730 in Kriens 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 $1,965 in Kriens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $3,213 in Kriens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Kriens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,154 in Kriens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Kriens. 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 Kriens 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 23% less than in Kriens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.