This study compares the capabilities of two numerical models that simulate the behaviour of compacted saturated MX-80 bentonite exposed to different chemical environments. Both codes have different approaches: one of them is a reactive transport model, and the other is a hydrogeomechanical model. The study shows that the combined use of both approaches provides a useful basis for designing bentonite barriers in the geological disposal of high-level nuclear waste. Although, their application is now limited to simple geometries and boundary conditions, the proposed approaches are a first step towards a fully thermo-hydro-mechano-chemical model. It is also shown that there is a need for a greater understanding of the chemomechanical coupling that occurs at the microstructural scale to achieve this comprehensive model in the future.