Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. The total is higher in Olten despite lower rent and utilities.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Olten

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $3,049 in Olten.

Barcelona $2,381
Olten $3,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $4,812 in Olten.

Barcelona $3,406
Olten $4,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $6,576 in Olten.

Barcelona $4,431
Olten $6,576

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 22% less than in Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Olten 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-46.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$122 CHF 100

-45.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-22.61%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-51.35%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-44.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-62.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-58.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$7.52 CHF 6.19

-38.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-38.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-45.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-51.97%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-44.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-33.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-65.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-57.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-25.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-24.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-10.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-38.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-13.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.14 CHF 1.76

0.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-42.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-31.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$10.85 CHF 8.93

-36.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$14.12 CHF 11.63

-44.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.79 CHF 2.30

-50.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-19.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-45.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$107 CHF 88.3

-76.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-64.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-68.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-63.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-13.89%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-18.22%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-19.33%

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

$183 €163

$275 CHF 227

-33.63%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$32.97 CHF 27.15

-58.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$47.51 CHF 39.13

-30.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$80.2 CHF 66.1

-31.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$21.01 CHF 17.30

-46.55%

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

$954 €849

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-73.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-60.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$143 CHF 118

-39.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-34.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$167 CHF 137

-37.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$210 CHF 173

-43.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,210 CHF 997

40.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,035 CHF 852

23.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,968 CHF 1,621

30.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,948 CHF 1,605

-1.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-61.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.07

58.45%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Olten

$1K 34% 18.9% $241

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Olten

$617 20.3% 89.9% $292

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Olten

$498 16.3% 84.8% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Olten

$356 11.7% 55.2% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Olten

$261 8.6% 66.7% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Olten

$122 4% 58.4% $45

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Olten

$160 5.2% 237% $112

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,210 in Olten. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Olten pays 162% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $122 in Olten for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $617 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

17,280

💱 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 Olten 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Olten

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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Olten differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $3,049 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 162% lower in Olten. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,210 in Olten. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $3,608 in Olten. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Olten. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Olten 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 28% less than in Olten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.