Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Switzerland and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,775 a month against $3,612 in Switzerland, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

174

Cost of Living Index in Switzerland
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Switzerland Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,612

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Switzerland and in Spain

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,612 in Switzerland versus $1,775 in Spain.

Switzerland $3,612
Spain $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,498 in Switzerland versus $2,606 in Spain.

Switzerland $5,498
Spain $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,384 in Switzerland versus $3,438 in Spain.

Switzerland $7,384
Spain $3,438

Internal cost variation is higher in Switzerland: monthly costs span $1,976 to $5,153, compared to $931–$2,610 in Spain. City choice carries more weight in Switzerland.

Living in Switzerland is roughly 104% more expensive than in Spain on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Switzerland 165% above, Spain 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.97 CHF 24.72

$16.69 €14.95

79.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 97.9

$55.7 €49.88

113.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.30 CHF 15.09

$11.37 €10.18

60.95%

Cappuccino

$6.19 CHF 5.11

$2.42 €2.16

155.79%

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

$5.23 CHF 4.31

$2.68 €2.40

95.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 CHF 4.10

$1.79 €1.60

177.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.18 CHF 7.57

$3.42 €3.07

168.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 CHF 5.91

$3.88 €3.47

84.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$1.20 €1.07

79.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 CHF 3.06

$1.48 €1.33

150.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 CHF 3.06

$1.67 €1.50

122.16%

Eggs

$7.77 CHF 6.41

$3.42 €3.06

127.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.73 CHF 21.23

$14.17 €12.69

81.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.14 CHF 23.22

$8.33 €7.46

237.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$43.32 CHF 35.74

$16.20 €14.51

167.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CHF 3.08

$2.45 €2.20

52.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.03 €1.82

8.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 CHF 2.26

$2.08 €1.86

31.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 CHF 4.13

$2.58 €2.31

94.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.71

$1.83 €1.64

13.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 CHF 1.74

$2.00 €1.79

5.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.31 €1.17

70.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 CHF 1.12

$0.77 €0.69

76.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 CHF 8.80

$6.36 €5.70

67.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 CHF 11.02

$5.64 €5.05

136.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 CHF 2.28

$1.30 €1.17

112.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$2.09 €1.87

39.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 CHF 3.58

$1.64 €1.47

164.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.8

$32.91 €29.48

204.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 CHF 6.46

$4.43 €3.96

76.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.57 CHF 3.77

$1.47 €1.31

210.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.2 CHF 70.3

$24.98 €22.38

241.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$1.77 €1.59

28.25%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$35.5K €31.8K

11.15%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$30.6K €27.4K

26.76%

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

$280 CHF 231

$149 €134

87.72%

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

$37.53 CHF 30.96

$17.67 €15.83

112.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.1 CHF 47.94

$31.88 €28.55

82.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.1 CHF 69.3

$44.24 €39.62

89.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.13 CHF 38.87

$15.29 €13.70

208.24%

Cinema Ticket

$23.81 CHF 19.64

$9.66 €8.65

146.48%

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

$2,987 CHF 2,464

$544 €487

448.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K CHF 29.1K

$10.6K €9,499

232.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$84.9 €76.0

62.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 CHF 54.1

$37.11 €33.24

76.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$150 CHF 124

$89.2 €79.9

68.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$191 CHF 157

$106 €94.7

80.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,074 CHF 1,711

$1,056 €946

96.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 CHF 1,352

$808 €723

102.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,559 CHF 2,936

$1,621 €1,452

119.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,840 CHF 2,342

$1,246 €1,116

127.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.1K

$4,135 €3,704

343.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.9K CHF 10.7K

$2,633 €2,358

391.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,033 CHF 5,802

$1,999 €1,790

251.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

3.3

-37.27%

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

Last update for Switzerland: October 24, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Switzerland

$1.6K 45.4%

Spain

$808 45.5% 50.7% $831

Groceries & Markets

Switzerland

$602 16.7%

Spain

$272 15.3% 54.9% $331

Eating Out

Switzerland

$470 13%

Spain

$239 13.5% 49.1% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Switzerland

$376 10.4%

Spain

$199 11.2% 47.1% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Switzerland

$245 6.8%

Spain

$143 8% 41.8% $102

Getting Around

Switzerland

$148 4.1%

Spain

$51 2.9% 65.5% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Switzerland

$132 3.7%

Spain

$64 3.6% 51.7% $68

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,790 in Switzerland, $920 in Spain. Capital cities: $2,102 in Bern vs $1,508 in Madrid.

National salary averages: $7,158 in Switzerland, $1,972 in Spain. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 95% higher in Switzerland.

Dining out costs 121% more in Switzerland.

Public transport is 239% more expensive in Switzerland.

Salaries are about 3.6 times higher in Switzerland, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Switzerland.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Switzerland

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

Same time as Switzerland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,902,308

47,415,750

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Switzerland Spain 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Switzerland
Spain

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

Switzerland vs Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,775 per month in Spain and $3,612 in Switzerland, Spain comes out about 51% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Spain: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,790 in Switzerland and $920 in Spain. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Spain, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in Switzerland it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Spain wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.