Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fribourg and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,310 in Fribourg, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Fribourg
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Fribourg Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Fribourg

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,310

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fribourg and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Fribourg and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,310 in Fribourg versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Fribourg $3,310
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,866 in Fribourg versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Fribourg $4,866
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,423 in Fribourg versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Fribourg $6,423
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Fribourg is roughly 38% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fribourg 145% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.10 CHF 24.79

$17.94 €15.96

67.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 CHF 97.0

$68.1 €60.5

73.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.27 CHF 12.58

$13.28 €11.81

14.98%

Cappuccino

$6.14 CHF 5.06

$3.25 €2.89

88.92%

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

$4.89 CHF 4.03

$3.01 €2.67

62.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 CHF 4.22

$1.87 €1.66

173.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 CHF 5.91

$3.85 €3.42

86.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 CHF 5.31

$4.48 €3.98

43.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.29 €1.15

65.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.59

$2.04 €1.81

54.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CHF 2.89

$1.72 €1.53

104.07%

Eggs

$7.23 CHF 5.96

$4.77 €4.24

51.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.79 CHF 19.60

$16.77 €14.92

41.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.77 CHF 20.40

$8.93 €7.94

177.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.43 CHF 30.01

$19.88 €17.68

83.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

$2.98 €2.65

18.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.03 €1.80

-17.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.03

$2.73 €2.43

-9.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$2.68 €2.38

66.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.47

$2.10 €1.87

-15.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.70

$2.08 €1.85

-0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$1.45 €1.29

54.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CHF 1.01

$0.89 €0.79

38.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.04

$6.94 €6.17

58.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 CHF 8.40

$7.78 €6.92

31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 CHF 2.84

$1.45 €1.29

137.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 CHF 1.92

$2.57 €2.29

-9.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.57 CHF 2.94

$2.99 €2.66

19.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.7 CHF 70.6

$25.20 €22.41

240.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 CHF 8.10

$3.12 €2.77

215.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$1.44 €1.28

179.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.4 CHF 59.7

$33.50 €29.80

116.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$1.79 €1.59

26.26%

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

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$34.6K €30.8K

20.41%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$30.1K €26.7K

29.11%

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

$336 CHF 277

$178 €158

89.09%

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

$40.26 CHF 33.16

$13.32 €11.85

202.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.2 CHF 46.31

$34.88 €31.03

61.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 CHF 48.39

$53.3 €47.37

10.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.82 CHF 24.56

$16.01 €14.24

86.26%

Cinema Ticket

$21.24 CHF 17.50

$11.06 €9.84

92.04%

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

$1,762 CHF 1,451

$957 €851

84.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K CHF 29.5K

$16.6K €14.7K

116.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 CHF 83.0

$88.2 €78.4

14.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 CHF 46.97

$39.49 €35.12

44.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$103 €91.5

54.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 CHF 156

$121 €108

55.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 CHF 1,293

$1,653 €1,470

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 CHF 1,181

$1,302 €1,158

10.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,450 CHF 2,018

$2,557 €2,275

-4.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,176 CHF 1,792

$1,915 €1,703

13.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$20.6K CHF 16.9K

$7,286 €6,481

182.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$5,080 €4,519

170.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,808 CHF 5,607

$2,281 €2,029

198.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

3.28

-29.57%

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

Last update for Fribourg: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fribourg

$1.4K 43.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 9.2% $132

Groceries & Markets

Fribourg

$536 16.2%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 40.2% $216

Eating Out

Fribourg

$449 13.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 39.9% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fribourg

$433 13.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 47.8% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Fribourg

$228 6.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 30.4% $69

Getting Around

Fribourg

$130 3.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 63.5% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Fribourg

$101 3.1%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 25.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,570 in Fribourg and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fribourg pays 199% 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: $118 in Fribourg vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $536 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Fribourg

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

Same time as Fribourg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,485

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Fribourg Barcelona 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Fribourg
Barcelona

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

Fribourg vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fribourg and Barcelona differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($3,310 vs $2,399 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 199% higher in Fribourg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,570 in Fribourg versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,762 in Fribourg versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Fribourg. 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, Fribourg and Barcelona 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 38% less than in Fribourg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.