Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ankang

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankang: $725 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ankang
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Ankang Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Ankang

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ankang

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

A single person spends $2,399 per month in Barcelona vs $725 in Ankang, rent included.

Barcelona $2,399
Ankang $725

A couple spends around $3,410 per month in Barcelona vs $1,132 in Ankang, rent included.

Barcelona $3,410
Ankang $1,132

A family of three spends $4,421 per month in Barcelona vs $1,540 in Ankang, rent included.

Barcelona $4,421
Ankang $1,540

Barcelona costs about 231% more than Ankang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 78% above the global median, while Ankang is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$1.47 ¥9.81

1120.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$14.99 ¥100

354.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$2.91 ¥19.46

356.36%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.15 ¥14.39

51.16%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.43 ¥2.90

600.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.27 ¥1.79

592.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$1.50 ¥10.03

156.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$1.48 ¥9.86

202.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.47 ¥9.85

-12.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.70 ¥11.37

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.90 ¥5.99

91.11%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.49 ¥9.98

220.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$11.41 ¥76.3

46.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$4.12 ¥27.53

116.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$10.36 ¥69.2

91.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.70 ¥11.34

75.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.15 ¥7.67

76.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.24 ¥8.32

120.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.26 ¥8.44

112.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.68 ¥4.52

208.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.69 ¥4.61

201.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.58 ¥3.85

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.55 ¥3.68

61.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$3.31 ¥22.15

109.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$9.89 ¥66.1

-21.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.78 ¥5.19

85.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.68 ¥11.22

52.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.32 ¥2.12

834.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$17.21 ¥115

46.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.25 ¥8.35

149.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.29 ¥1.93

396.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$4.36 ¥29.16

668.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.36 ¥9.08

31.62%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$19.3K ¥129.3K

79.02%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$17.5K ¥117.0K

71.83%

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

$178 €158

$89.3 ¥597

99.07%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$3.26 ¥21.79

308.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$10.61 ¥70.9

228.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$44.85 ¥300

18.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$13.11 ¥87.7

22.12%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$5.68 ¥37.99

94.72%

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

$957 €851

$679 ¥4,540

40.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$17.2K ¥115.2K

-3.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$39.44 ¥264

123.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$37.19 ¥249

6.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$74.4 ¥498

38.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$92.4 ¥618

31.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$299 ¥2,002

451.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$182 ¥1,220

613.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$616 ¥4,117

315.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$386 ¥2,582

395.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,279 ¥21.9K

122.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$2,225 ¥14.9K

128.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.35

-2.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ankang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Ankang

$182 25.2% 86% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Ankang

$193 26.6% 39.7% $127

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Ankang

$60 8.2% 77.9% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Ankang

$103 14.2% 54.3% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Ankang

$110 15.1% 30.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Ankang

$56 7.8% 25.4% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Ankang

$21 2.9% 55.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,653 in Barcelona versus $299 in Ankang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Barcelona versus $15.00 in Ankang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $193 – making Ankang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Ankang

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

16:41 4:41 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

894,853

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Ankang 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ankang

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

Barcelona vs Ankang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 231%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,599 per month in Barcelona and $1,088 in Ankang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ankang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Ankang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $957 per month in Barcelona and $679 in Ankang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ankang, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Barcelona at $2,399. In Ankang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ankang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ankang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.