Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Meilen

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,386 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
164

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
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Meilen Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Meilen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,386 in Meilen.

Barcelona $2,453
Meilen $3,386

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $5,977 in Meilen.

Barcelona $3,509
Meilen $5,977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $8,568 in Meilen.

Barcelona $4,564
Meilen $8,568

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 28% less than in Meilen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Meilen 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$32.96 CHF 27.19

-46.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$120 CHF 98.8

-43.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$16.48 CHF 13.60

-17.90%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$6.36 CHF 5.24

-49.84%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$5.76 CHF 4.75

-49.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$5.25 CHF 4.33

-64.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$8.63 CHF 7.12

-53.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$8.56 CHF 7.06

-47.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-39.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-40.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.74 CHF 3.08

-50.53%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$7.85 CHF 6.48

-38.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$26.09 CHF 21.52

-35.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$25.84 CHF 21.32

-64.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$39.94 CHF 32.94

-50.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.49 CHF 2.88

-14.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.11 CHF 1.74

-4.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.71 CHF 2.24

-0.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-37.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.07 CHF 1.71

0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-5.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.36 CHF 1.94

-38.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.26 CHF 1.04

-25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$11.05 CHF 9.12

-37.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$13.29 CHF 10.96

-40.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-37.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-19.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.43 CHF 3.65

-29.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$102 CHF 84.2

-75.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$7.64 CHF 6.30

-60.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-66.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$87.5 CHF 72.2

-61.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-17.81%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-14.12%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-18.64%

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

$180 €162

$234 CHF 193

-22.85%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$38.39 CHF 31.67

-63.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$64.6 CHF 53.3

-47.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$90.9 CHF 75.0

-43.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$45.64 CHF 37.65

-65.03%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$23.65 CHF 19.51

-53.53%

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

$917 €821

$2,822 CHF 2,328

-67.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$42.6K CHF 35.2K

-61.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$138 CHF 114

-36.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$58.1 CHF 47.96

-33.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$145 CHF 120

-27.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$175 CHF 144

-31.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,778 CHF 1,466

-4.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,463 CHF 1,207

-7.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,894 CHF 2,388

-10.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$4,088 CHF 3,372

-49.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$16.4K CHF 13.5K

-57.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

-59.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$8,262 CHF 6,815

-73.24%

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 Meilen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Meilen

$1.5K 43.2% 7.9% $107

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Meilen

$572 16.9% 77.8% $251

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Meilen

$494 14.6% 84.3% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Meilen

$337 10% 47.7% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Meilen

$232 6.9% 47% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Meilen

$138 4.1% 88% $65

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Meilen

$150 4.4% 209% $101

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,778 in Meilen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Meilen pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $120 in Meilen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $572 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Meilen

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

13,515

💱 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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Between locations

Barcelona Meilen 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Meilen

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 Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $3,386 in Meilen, so Barcelona is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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 $1,778 in Meilen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,822 in Meilen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Meilen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,386 in Meilen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Meilen. 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 Meilen 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 28% less than in Meilen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.