Cost of Living · CH vs ES
🇨🇭 Zürich vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $3,208 in Switzerland vs $1,382 in Spain — 56.93% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -61.43%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -61.43%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -61.43%
Closest to Switzerland prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -23.83%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -23.83%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -23.83%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Switzerland | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $2,413 | $931 (860 EUR) | -61.43% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,931 | $745 (688 EUR) | -61.43% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $4,413 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | -61.43% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $23.17 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | -52.7% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $96.54 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | -52.69% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $13.84 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | -49.35% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $1.32 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | -41.67% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $3.84 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | -41.93% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $4.09 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | -42.05% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $12.02 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | -42.01% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $4.81 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | -42% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $5.77 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | -41.94% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $14.42 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | -41.96% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $2.40 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | -42.08% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $7.72 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | -52.72% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $8.77 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | -23.83% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $6.44 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | -52.8% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.76 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | -42.03% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $81.77 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | -49.36% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $3.46 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | -49.42% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $5.15 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | -52.62% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $2.32 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | -52.59% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $1.04 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | -24.04% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $252 | $127 (118 EUR) | -49.36% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $88.06 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | -49.36% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $56.61 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | -49.36% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $64.36 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | -52.69% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $18.02 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | -52.72% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $38.62 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | -52.69% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $60.29 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | -23.83% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $98.65 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | -23.83% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $322 | $152 (141 EUR) | -52.69% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Spain than Switzerland?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $3,208 in Switzerland — 56.93% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $7.72 in Switzerland.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to Switzerland?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $2,413/month in Switzerland (-61.43%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.