Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sion

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,235 in Sion, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $3,235 in Sion.

Barcelona $2,399
Sion $3,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $4,857 in Sion.

Barcelona $3,410
Sion $4,857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $6,479 in Sion.

Barcelona $4,421
Sion $6,479

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Sion 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$28.97 CHF 23.86

-38.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$89.6 CHF 73.8

-24.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$19.15 CHF 15.77

-30.65%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.60 CHF 3.79

-29.35%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$5.09 CHF 4.19

-40.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$4.28 CHF 3.52

-56.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$7.36 CHF 6.06

-47.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$7.29 CHF 6.00

-38.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.94 CHF 1.60

-33.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-42.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$4.19 CHF 3.45

-58.95%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$7.13 CHF 5.87

-33.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$26.01 CHF 21.42

-35.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$22.69 CHF 18.69

-60.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$40.09 CHF 33.02

-50.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.15 CHF 2.59

-5.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.70 CHF 1.40

19.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.53 CHF 2.09

7.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$6.20 CHF 5.11

-56.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.85 CHF 1.53

13.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-3.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-40.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.17 CHF 0.97

-23.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$10.85 CHF 8.94

-36.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$14.25 CHF 11.74

-45.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.76 CHF 1.45

-17.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.91 CHF 1.57

34.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$5.24 CHF 4.32

-42.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$179 CHF 148

-85.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$5.94 CHF 4.89

-47.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$5.29 CHF 4.36

-72.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$48.12 CHF 39.63

-30.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-19.00%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

1.14%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

-20.09%

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

$178 €158

$308 CHF 254

-42.29%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$24.86 CHF 20.48

-46.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$49.64 CHF 40.89

-29.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$135 CHF 111

-60.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$54.5 CHF 44.88

-70.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$20.28 CHF 16.70

-45.46%

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

$957 €851

$953 CHF 785

0.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

-56.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$109 CHF 89.7

-19.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$48.21 CHF 39.71

-18.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$161 CHF 133

-36.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$165 CHF 136

-26.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,221 CHF 1,005

35.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,240 CHF 1,021

4.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,323 CHF 1,913

10.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$2,072 CHF 1,707

-7.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$7,339 CHF 6,045

-0.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$5,532 CHF 4,556

-8.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$5,826 CHF 4,798

-60.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.15

52.56%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Sion

$1.2K 38.3% 4.7% $62

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Sion

$554 17.1% 73% $234

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Sion

$433 13.4% 60.4% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Sion

$383 11.8% 69.3% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Sion

$217 6.7% 37.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Sion

$175 5.4% 133% $100

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Sion

$233 7.2% 390% $185

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,221 in Sion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sion pays 155% 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 $90.0 in Sion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $554 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 Sion

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

34,599

💱 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 Sion 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sion

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 Sion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sion differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $3,235 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 155% lower in Sion. 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 $1,221 in Sion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $953 in Sion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Sion. 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 Sion 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 35% less than in Sion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.