Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Chaux-de-Fonds and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. The total is higher in La Chaux-de-Fonds despite lower rent and utilities.

144

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,965

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,965
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,731 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,731
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,498 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,498
Barcelona $4,421

Living in La Chaux-de-Fonds is roughly 24% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: La Chaux-de-Fonds 120% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.06 CHF 19.81

$17.94 €15.96

34.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 CHF 69.8

$68.1 €60.5

24.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.02 CHF 14.84

$13.28 €11.81

35.69%

Cappuccino

$4.67 CHF 3.85

$3.25 €2.89

43.69%

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

$3.55 CHF 2.93

$3.01 €2.67

17.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 CHF 3.69

$1.87 €1.66

139.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.26 CHF 5.98

$3.85 €3.42

88.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 CHF 4.82

$4.48 €3.98

30.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$1.29 €1.15

68.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$2.04 €1.81

45.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 CHF 2.65

$1.72 €1.53

87.21%

Eggs

$7.74 CHF 6.37

$4.77 €4.24

62.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.32 CHF 20.85

$16.77 €14.92

50.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.73 CHF 22.01

$8.93 €7.94

199.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.67 CHF 34.32

$19.88 €17.68

109.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 CHF 3.01

$2.98 €2.65

22.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$2.03 €1.80

15.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 CHF 2.41

$2.73 €2.43

7.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 CHF 3.70

$2.68 €2.38

67.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$2.10 €1.87

-20.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 CHF 1.57

$2.08 €1.85

-8.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$1.45 €1.29

54.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CHF 1.28

$0.89 €0.79

75.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 CHF 9.03

$6.94 €6.17

57.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 CHF 9.85

$7.78 €6.92

53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.45 €1.29

68.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 CHF 2.47

$2.57 €2.29

16.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.63 CHF 3.81

$2.99 €2.66

54.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.1 CHF 80.8

$25.20 €22.41

289.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$3.12 €2.77

147.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.46 CHF 3.68

$1.44 €1.28

209.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$84.5 CHF 69.6

$33.50 €29.80

152.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$1.79 €1.59

31.28%

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

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

23.94%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$30.1K €26.7K

31.50%

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

$291 CHF 239

$178 €158

63.39%

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

$45.30 CHF 37.31

$13.32 €11.85

240.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 CHF 53.1

$34.88 €31.03

84.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.2 CHF 60.3

$53.3 €47.37

37.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.07 CHF 37.12

$16.01 €14.24

181.51%

Cinema Ticket

$22.43 CHF 18.47

$11.06 €9.84

102.80%

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

$2,924 CHF 2,408

$957 €851

205.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CHF 16.6K

$16.6K €14.7K

21.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$147 CHF 121

$88.2 €78.4

66.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.1

$39.49 €35.12

100.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$103 €91.5

56.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 CHF 162

$121 €108

62.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 CHF 1,205

$1,653 €1,470

-11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 CHF 889

$1,302 €1,158

-17.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,904 CHF 3,215

$2,557 €2,275

52.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 CHF 1,914

$1,915 €1,703

21.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$7,286 €6,481

122.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

$5,080 €4,519

141.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,068 CHF 4,174

$2,281 €2,029

122.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

3.28

-26.22%

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

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: 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

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 36.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 20.6% $222

Groceries & Markets

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$575 19.4%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 44.3% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$400 13.5%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 43.5% $174

Eating Out

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 12.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 29.4% $113

Clothing & Footwear

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 39.7% $104

Getting Around

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$147 5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 67.6% $99

Sport & Entertainment

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$118 4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 36.1% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,463 in La Chaux-de-Fonds and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

La Chaux-de-Fonds pays 122% 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: $85.0 in La Chaux-de-Fonds vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $575 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

Same time as La Chaux-de-Fonds

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,027

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

La Chaux-de-Fonds Barcelona 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

La Chaux-de-Fonds
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

La Chaux-de-Fonds vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Chaux-de-Fonds and Barcelona differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,965 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 122% higher in La Chaux-de-Fonds, 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: $1,463 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,924 in La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 80% higher in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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, La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 24% less than in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.