Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and St. Gallen

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,451 in St. Gallen, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
167

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in St. Gallen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,451 in St. Gallen.

Barcelona $2,453
St. Gallen $3,451

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $5,120 in St. Gallen.

Barcelona $3,509
St. Gallen $5,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $6,789 in St. Gallen.

Barcelona $4,564
St. Gallen $6,789

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 29% less than in St. Gallen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, St. Gallen 154% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$28.78 CHF 23.74

-38.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$144 CHF 119

-53.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$18.04 CHF 14.88

-25.00%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$6.03 CHF 4.97

-47.10%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$5.95 CHF 4.91

-51.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$5.10 CHF 4.21

-62.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$8.80 CHF 7.26

-54.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.38 CHF 5.26

-29.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.25 CHF 1.86

-41.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.16 CHF 2.61

-36.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.77 CHF 3.11

-50.93%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$7.72 CHF 6.36

-37.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$24.91 CHF 20.55

-32.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$29.02 CHF 23.94

-68.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$39.94 CHF 32.94

-50.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.06 CHF 2.52

-2.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.56 CHF 1.28

29.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.40 CHF 1.98

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$6.17 CHF 5.09

-54.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.71 CHF 1.41

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-3.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.18 CHF 0.97

-20.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$10.98 CHF 9.06

-37.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$11.23 CHF 9.26

-29.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-32.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.28 CHF 1.88

11.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.08 CHF 3.36

-23.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$86.4 CHF 71.2

-70.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$6.62 CHF 5.46

-54.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$4.76 CHF 3.93

-68.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$79.2 CHF 65.3

-57.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-19.28%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

-13.50%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

-17.88%

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

$180 €162

$312 CHF 257

-42.18%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$37.60 CHF 31.01

-63.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$54.0 CHF 44.50

-37.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$79.6 CHF 65.6

-35.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$28.27 CHF 23.32

-61.12%

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

$917 €821

$2,308 CHF 1,904

-60.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

-48.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$144 CHF 119

-39.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$64.0 CHF 52.8

-39.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$146 CHF 120

-27.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$183 CHF 151

-34.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,895 CHF 1,563

-10.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,504 CHF 1,240

-9.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,868 CHF 2,366

-9.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,256 CHF 1,860

-8.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$11.3K CHF 9,283

-38.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$8,285 CHF 6,833

-38.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$6,694 CHF 5,521

-66.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.1

56.19%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for St. Gallen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

St. Gallen

$1.5K 43.6% 11% $149

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

St. Gallen

$575 16.7% 78.6% $253

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

St. Gallen

$458 13.3% 70.8% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

St. Gallen

$404 11.7% 77% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

St. Gallen

$242 7% 53.2% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

St. Gallen

$136 3.9% 85.2% $63

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

St. Gallen

$133 3.9% 175% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,895 in St. Gallen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Gallen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $144 in St. Gallen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $575 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

78,213

💱 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 St. Gallen 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
St. Gallen

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 St. Gallen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $3,451 in St. Gallen, so Barcelona is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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 $1,895 in St. Gallen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,308 in St. Gallen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in St. Gallen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,451 in St. Gallen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in St. Gallen. 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 St. Gallen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in St. Gallen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.