Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and La Chaux-de-Fonds

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. The total is higher in La Chaux-de-Fonds despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Barcelona $2,453
La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,738 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Barcelona $3,509
La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $6,524 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Barcelona $4,564
La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,524

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 17% less than in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, La Chaux-de-Fonds 117% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$24.18 CHF 19.95

-27.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$83.4 CHF 68.8

-19.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$17.79 CHF 14.68

-23.95%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.54 CHF 3.74

-29.74%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-17.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$4.59 CHF 3.79

-58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.43 CHF 6.13

-46.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.19 CHF 5.10

-26.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-42.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.04 CHF 2.51

-33.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.28 CHF 2.71

-43.60%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$7.83 CHF 6.46

-38.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$26.31 CHF 21.70

-36.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$27.70 CHF 22.85

-67.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$41.41 CHF 34.16

-52.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-16.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-8.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.75 CHF 3.92

-41.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.70 CHF 1.40

22.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.00 CHF 1.65

3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-35.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.57 CHF 1.29

-40.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$11.10 CHF 9.16

-38.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$12.27 CHF 10.12

-35.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-42.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.08 CHF 2.54

-17.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.35 CHF 3.59

-27.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$101 CHF 83.4

-74.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$8.09 CHF 6.67

-63.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-68.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$86.6 CHF 71.5

-61.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.35 CHF 1.94

-23.40%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

-16.52%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$40.1K CHF 33.1K

-20.94%

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

$180 €162

$289 CHF 239

-37.61%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$45.95 CHF 37.91

-69.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$62.8 CHF 51.8

-46.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$73.6 CHF 60.7

-29.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$46.67 CHF 38.50

-65.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$22.60 CHF 18.64

-51.37%

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

$917 €821

$2,918 CHF 2,407

-68.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$20.6K CHF 17.0K

-19.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$144 CHF 119

-39.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$77.8 CHF 64.2

-50.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$162 CHF 134

-34.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$200 CHF 165

-40.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,465 CHF 1,209

15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,053 CHF 868

28.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$3,857 CHF 3,181

-32.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$2,323 CHF 1,916

-11.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$16.8K CHF 13.9K

-58.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

-58.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$5,123 CHF 4,226

-56.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.42

35.54%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 35.7% 22.3% $302

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$586 19.9% 82.1% $264

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 13% 43.1% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$398 13.5% 74.6% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9% 66.2% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$119 4% 61.6% $45

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$150 5.1% 210% $102

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,465 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

La Chaux-de-Fonds pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $83 in La Chaux-de-Fonds for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $586 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

39,027

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona La Chaux-de-Fonds 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, so Barcelona is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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 $1,465 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,918 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in La Chaux-de-Fonds. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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