Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreux and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,392 in Montreux, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Montreux
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Montreux Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Montreux

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,392

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreux 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 Montreux and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,392 in Montreux versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Montreux $3,392
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,203 in Montreux versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Montreux $5,203
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,015 in Montreux versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Montreux $7,015
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Montreux is roughly 41% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreux 151% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.50 CHF 25.12

$17.94 €15.96

70.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 109

$68.1 €60.5

94.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.41 CHF 15.16

$13.28 €11.81

38.63%

Cappuccino

$5.93 CHF 4.89

$3.25 €2.89

82.46%

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

$4.86 CHF 4.00

$3.01 €2.67

61.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 CHF 3.38

$1.87 €1.66

119.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.83 CHF 8.10

$3.85 €3.42

155.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 CHF 8.11

$4.48 €3.98

119.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$1.29 €1.15

64.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 CHF 2.76

$2.04 €1.81

64.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$1.72 €1.53

87.79%

Eggs

$7.08 CHF 5.83

$4.77 €4.24

48.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.74 CHF 20.37

$16.77 €14.92

47.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.15 CHF 23.19

$8.93 €7.94

215.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.23 CHF 32.31

$19.88 €17.68

97.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$2.98 €2.65

16.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$2.03 €1.80

-19.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$2.73 €2.43

-10.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$2.68 €2.38

72.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CHF 1.47

$2.10 €1.87

-14.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CHF 1.58

$2.08 €1.85

-7.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$1.45 €1.29

35.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 CHF 1.42

$0.89 €0.79

93.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 CHF 8.79

$6.94 €6.17

53.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 CHF 9.87

$7.78 €6.92

53.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.22

$1.45 €1.29

86.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CHF 2.60

$2.57 €2.29

22.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$2.99 €2.66

51.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CHF 82.8

$25.20 €22.41

298.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 CHF 6.20

$3.12 €2.77

141.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.95 CHF 3.25

$1.44 €1.28

174.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.4 CHF 51.4

$33.50 €29.80

86.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$1.79 €1.59

28.49%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

10.22%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$30.1K €26.7K

29.05%

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

$285 CHF 234

$178 €158

60.06%

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

$36.64 CHF 30.18

$13.32 €11.85

175.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CHF 41.94

$34.88 €31.03

45.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.5 CHF 72.9

$53.3 €47.37

66.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.52 CHF 37.49

$16.01 €14.24

184.32%

Cinema Ticket

$23.83 CHF 19.63

$11.06 €9.84

115.46%

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

$2,416 CHF 1,990

$957 €851

152.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K CHF 29.5K

$16.6K €14.7K

116.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$88.2 €78.4

55.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.0 CHF 62.6

$39.49 €35.12

92.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$103 €91.5

58.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$121 €108

51.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 CHF 1,378

$1,653 €1,470

1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$1,302 €1,158

10.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,879 CHF 2,371

$2,557 €2,275

12.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,458 CHF 2,025

$1,915 €1,703

28.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

$7,286 €6,481

114.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,982

$5,080 €4,519

138.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,082 CHF 6,657

$2,281 €2,029

254.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

3.28

-40.55%

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

Last update for Montreux: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreux

$1.4K 42.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 9.6% $139

Groceries & Markets

Montreux

$570 16.8%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 43.8% $250

Eating Out

Montreux

$475 14%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 43.2% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreux

$372 11%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 39.3% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Montreux

$252 7.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 37.2% $94

Getting Around

Montreux

$146 4.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 67.5% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Montreux

$136 4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 44.6% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in Montreux and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreux pays 254% 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: $132 in Montreux vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $570 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Montreux

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

Same time as Montreux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,208

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

Montreux Barcelona 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreux
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

Montreux vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreux and Barcelona differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($3,392 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 254% higher in Montreux, 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: $1,673 in Montreux versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,416 in Montreux 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 78% higher in Montreux. 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, Montreux 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 41% less than in Montreux. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.