Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rapperswil

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,330 in Rapperswil, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
161

Cost of Living Index in Rapperswil
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Rapperswil Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Rapperswil

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rapperswil

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,330 in Rapperswil.

Barcelona $2,453
Rapperswil $3,330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $5,029 in Rapperswil.

Barcelona $3,509
Rapperswil $5,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $6,729 in Rapperswil.

Barcelona $4,564
Rapperswil $6,729

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 26% less than in Rapperswil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Rapperswil 145% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$23.80 CHF 19.74

-26.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$95.5 CHF 79.3

-29.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$16.02 CHF 13.29

-15.54%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$6.08 CHF 5.04

-47.53%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$4.70 CHF 3.90

-38.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$4.82 CHF 4.00

-60.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$8.65 CHF 7.17

-53.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$6.00 CHF 4.98

-24.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.14 CHF 1.78

-38.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.39 CHF 2.81

-40.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.35 CHF 3.61

-57.47%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$7.80 CHF 6.47

-38.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$26.76 CHF 22.20

-37.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$26.19 CHF 21.73

-65.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$40.71 CHF 33.77

-51.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.60 CHF 2.99

-17.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.15 CHF 1.79

-6.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.62 CHF 2.17

3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.81 CHF 3.99

-41.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.04 CHF 1.69

2.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.19 CHF 1.82

-5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.32 CHF 1.92

-37.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.37 CHF 1.14

-31.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$10.74 CHF 8.91

-36.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$13.18 CHF 10.94

-40.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.25 CHF 1.87

-37.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.44 CHF 2.86

-26.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.37 CHF 3.62

-28.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$100.0 CHF 82.9

-74.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$7.56 CHF 6.27

-60.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$4.97 CHF 4.13

-70.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$88.3 CHF 73.3

-62.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.17 CHF 1.80

-17.05%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-16.10%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$38.9K CHF 32.3K

-18.47%

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

$180 €162

$237 CHF 196

-23.74%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$31.70 CHF 26.30

-56.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$65.1 CHF 54.0

-48.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$88.7 CHF 73.6

-41.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$45.22 CHF 37.52

-64.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$21.76 CHF 18.05

-49.49%

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

$917 €823

$2,879 CHF 2,389

-68.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$43.7K CHF 36.3K

-62.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$141 CHF 117

-38.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$88.1 CHF 73.0

-56.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$149 CHF 124

-29.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$174 CHF 144

-31.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,769 CHF 1,468

-3.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,478 CHF 1,226

-8.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,984 CHF 2,475

-12.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$2,524 CHF 2,094

-18.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$16.6K CHF 13.7K

-58.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$12.6K CHF 10.5K

-59.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

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 Rapperswil: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Rapperswil

$1.5K 44.4% 9.1% $123

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Rapperswil

$583 17.5% 81.3% $262

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Rapperswil

$405 12.2% 51.1% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Rapperswil

$333 10% 46.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Rapperswil

$248 7.5% 57.2% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Rapperswil

$132 4% 79.9% $59

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Rapperswil

$150 4.5% 209% $101

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,769 in Rapperswil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $96 in Rapperswil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $583 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Rapperswil

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

26,354

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Rapperswil 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Rapperswil

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 Rapperswil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Rapperswil differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $3,330 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $4,995 in Rapperswil 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,769 in Rapperswil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,879 in Rapperswil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Rapperswil. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,330 in Rapperswil, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Rapperswil. 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 Rapperswil 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 Rapperswil. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.