Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Schaan

For one person, living is cheaper in Schaan: $1,281 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Schaan

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Schaan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,281 in Schaan.

Barcelona $2,453
Schaan $1,281

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,181 in Schaan.

Barcelona $3,509
Schaan $2,181

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,082 in Schaan.

Barcelona $4,564
Schaan $3,082

Living in Barcelona is roughly 92% more expensive than in Schaan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Schaan is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$27.20 CHF 22.52

-35.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$83.7 CHF 69.3

-19.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$14.59 CHF 12.08

-7.27%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$6.80 CHF 5.63

-53.09%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.93 CHF 2.43

-0.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$6.20 CHF 5.14

-69.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.94 CHF 4.09

-18.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.61 CHF 2.99

25.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.95 CHF 1.61

-32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$4.70 CHF 3.89

-57.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.78 CHF 4.78

-16.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$28.74 CHF 23.79

-41.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$24.42 CHF 20.21

-62.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$47.49 CHF 39.32

-58.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$8.51 CHF 7.04

-67.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.47 CHF 2.04

-61.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$12.29 CHF 10.18

-35.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.38 CHF 1.97

31.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.46 CHF 2.03

-26.83%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

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

$31.7K €28.4K

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

$180 €162

$86.1 CHF 71.3

109.58%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$32.04 CHF 26.53

-56.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$43.01 CHF 35.61

-21.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$122 CHF 101

-57.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$19.58 CHF 16.21

-43.87%

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

$917 €821

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,827 CHF 1,513

-6.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$3,052 CHF 2,527

-14.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$9,554 CHF 7,910

-27.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$6,145 CHF 5,088

-16.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$8,508 CHF 7,044

-74.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-18.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Schaan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Schaan

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Schaan

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Schaan

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Schaan

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Schaan

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Schaan

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Schaan

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,827 in Schaan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schaan pays about 3.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $84 in Schaan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $537 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇱🇮 Schaan

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

6,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Schaan 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Schaan

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 Schaan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,281 in Schaan, so Schaan is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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 $1,827 in Schaan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $84 in Schaan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,281 in Schaan – Schaan is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Schaan 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 Schaan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.