Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sion and Barcelona

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.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Sion $3,235
Barcelona $2,399

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

Sion $4,857
Barcelona $3,410

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

Sion $6,479
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Sion is roughly 35% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.97 CHF 23.86

$17.94 €15.96

61.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 CHF 73.8

$68.1 €60.5

31.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.15 CHF 15.77

$13.28 €11.81

44.20%

Cappuccino

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$3.25 €2.89

41.54%

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

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$3.01 €2.67

69.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 CHF 3.52

$1.87 €1.66

128.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 CHF 6.06

$3.85 €3.42

91.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CHF 6.00

$4.48 €3.98

62.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$1.29 €1.15

50.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$2.04 €1.81

73.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 CHF 3.45

$1.72 €1.53

143.60%

Eggs

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$4.77 €4.24

49.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.01 CHF 21.42

$16.77 €14.92

55.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$22.69 CHF 18.69

$8.93 €7.94

154.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.09 CHF 33.02

$19.88 €17.68

101.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.59

$2.98 €2.65

5.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$2.03 €1.80

-16.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 CHF 2.09

$2.73 €2.43

-7.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.20 CHF 5.11

$2.68 €2.38

131.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CHF 1.53

$2.10 €1.87

-11.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.08 €1.85

3.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$1.45 €1.29

67.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CHF 0.97

$0.89 €0.79

31.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.94

$6.94 €6.17

56.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CHF 11.74

$7.78 €6.92

83.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.45

$1.45 €1.29

21.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 CHF 1.57

$2.57 €2.29

-25.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.24 CHF 4.32

$2.99 €2.66

75.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 CHF 148

$25.20 €22.41

612.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 CHF 4.89

$3.12 €2.77

90.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.29 CHF 4.36

$1.44 €1.28

267.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.12 CHF 39.63

$33.50 €29.80

43.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$1.79 €1.59

23.46%

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

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

$34.6K €30.8K

-1.13%

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

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

$30.1K €26.7K

25.14%

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

$308 CHF 254

$178 €158

73.28%

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

$24.86 CHF 20.48

$13.32 €11.85

86.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.64 CHF 40.89

$34.88 €31.03

42.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$135 CHF 111

$53.3 €47.37

153.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.5 CHF 44.88

$16.01 €14.24

240.35%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 CHF 16.70

$11.06 €9.84

83.36%

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

$953 CHF 785

$957 €851

-0.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

$16.6K €14.7K

127.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 CHF 89.7

$88.2 €78.4

23.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 CHF 39.71

$39.49 €35.12

22.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$103 €91.5

56.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 CHF 136

$121 €108

35.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 CHF 1,005

$1,653 €1,470

-26.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,021

$1,302 €1,158

-4.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CHF 1,913

$2,557 €2,275

-9.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 CHF 1,707

$1,915 €1,703

8.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,339 CHF 6,045

$7,286 €6,481

0.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,532 CHF 4,556

$5,080 €4,519

8.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,826 CHF 4,798

$2,281 €2,029

155.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.15

3.28

-34.45%

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

Last update for Sion: 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

Sion

$1.2K 38.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 5% $62

Groceries & Markets

Sion

$554 17.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 42.2% $234

Eating Out

Sion

$433 13.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 37.7% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sion

$383 11.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 40.9% $157

Getting Around

Sion

$233 7.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 79.6% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Sion

$217 6.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 27.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Sion

$175 5.4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 57% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,221 in Sion and $1,653 in Barcelona. 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: $90.0 in Sion vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $554 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Sion

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Sion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,599

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

Sion Barcelona 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sion
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

Sion vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sion and Barcelona differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($3,235 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 155% higher in Sion, 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: $1,221 in Sion versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $953 in Sion 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 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, Sion 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 35% less than in Sion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.