Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mendrisio

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,034 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
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Mendrisio Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mendrisio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $3,034 in Mendrisio.

Barcelona $2,399
Mendrisio $3,034

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,758 in Mendrisio.

Barcelona $3,410
Mendrisio $3,758

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,483 in Mendrisio.

Barcelona $4,421
Mendrisio $4,483

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 21% less than in Mendrisio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Mendrisio 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$34.26 CHF 28.21

-47.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$177 CHF 146

-61.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$18.99 CHF 15.64

-30.07%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-32.29%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$5.41 CHF 4.46

-44.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-57.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$8.36 CHF 6.88

-53.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$7.03 CHF 5.79

-36.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-40.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.70 CHF 3.04

-44.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$4.15 CHF 3.42

-58.55%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$7.07 CHF 5.83

-32.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$25.44 CHF 20.95

-34.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$28.11 CHF 23.15

-68.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$39.04 CHF 32.15

-49.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-5.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.70 CHF 1.40

19.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.56 CHF 2.11

6.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$6.49 CHF 5.35

-58.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.84 CHF 1.52

14.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-2.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-38.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.16 CHF 0.96

-23.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$10.74 CHF 8.84

-35.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$14.64 CHF 12.06

-46.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.36 CHF 2.77

-56.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$4.08 CHF 3.36

-37.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-1.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$7.07 CHF 5.82

-55.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$5.38 CHF 4.43

-73.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$78.3 CHF 64.5

-57.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-18.64%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

0.02%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

-22.07%

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

$178 €158

$304 CHF 250

-41.44%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$25.15 CHF 20.71

-47.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$48.38 CHF 39.85

-27.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$73.1 CHF 60.2

-27.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$21.74 CHF 17.91

-49.13%

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

$957 €851

$3,187 CHF 2,625

-69.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

-56.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$107 CHF 87.8

-17.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$47.52 CHF 39.14

-16.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$164 CHF 135

-37.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$166 CHF 137

-26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,381 CHF 1,137

19.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,199 CHF 987

8.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$6,944 CHF 5,719

-67.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.37

38.40%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5% 7.9% $103

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Mendrisio

$594 19.6% 85.5% $274

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Mendrisio

$484 15.9% 79.1% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Mendrisio

$377 12.4% 66.9% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Mendrisio

$218 7.2% 37.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Mendrisio

$117 3.8% 54.7% $41

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5% 2.9% $1.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,381 in Mendrisio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mendrisio pays 204% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $177 in Mendrisio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $594 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

15,562

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Mendrisio 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mendrisio

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 Mendrisio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Mendrisio differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $3,034 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 204% lower in Mendrisio. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,381 in Mendrisio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $3,187 in Mendrisio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $177 in Mendrisio. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Mendrisio are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Mendrisio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.