Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Anshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Anshan: $626 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Anshan
Learn more

Anshan Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Anshan

🇨🇳 China

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Anshan

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 Anshan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $626 in Anshan.

Barcelona $2,381
Anshan $626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,011 in Anshan.

Barcelona $3,406
Anshan $1,011

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,396 in Anshan.

Barcelona $4,431
Anshan $1,396

Living in Barcelona is roughly 280% more expensive than in Anshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Anshan is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.94 ¥19.67

508.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$18.46 ¥123

258.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.59 ¥30.70

198.26%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.49 ¥16.65

22.89%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.36 ¥2.38

752.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.21 ¥1.40

823.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.73 ¥4.89

430.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$1.61 ¥10.79

186.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.77 ¥11.80

-26.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.26 ¥8.42

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.39 ¥2.59

369.23%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.06 ¥7.07

335.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$9.06 ¥60.6

91.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$1.83 ¥12.24

407.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$8.93 ¥59.7

122.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.02 ¥6.83

195.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.17 ¥7.80

73.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.17 ¥7.83

126.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.19 ¥7.95

141.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.31 ¥2.08

596.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.92 ¥6.14

133.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.29 ¥1.93

406.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.44 ¥2.92

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.78 ¥25.28

83.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.39 ¥49.42

5.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.72 ¥4.79

93.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.09 ¥7.29

141.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.29 ¥1.92

903.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$18.04 ¥121

41.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.03 ¥6.90

191.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.14 ¥0.90

928.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$2.93 ¥19.59

1033.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.05 ¥7.05

77.14%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

65.88%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$15.1K ¥101.2K

109.44%

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

$183 €163

$29.47 ¥197

520.16%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$7.37 ¥49.28

84.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$14.66 ¥98.0

124.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$41.48 ¥277

31.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$14.78 ¥98.9

11.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.93 ¥39.63

89.38%

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

$954 €849

$226 ¥1,514

321.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$21.4K ¥143.1K

-22.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$36.77 ¥246

133.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$32.89 ¥220

18.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$60.6 ¥405

70.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$69.9 ¥468

69.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$295 ¥1,971

475.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$182 ¥1,217

601.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$629 ¥4,209

309.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$377 ¥2,518

410.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,509 ¥23.5K

107.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,923 ¥12.9K

160.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$926 ¥6,194

140.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

64.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Anshan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Anshan

$182 29.1% 85.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Anshan

$152 24.2% 53.4% $173

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Anshan

$76 12.2% 71.7% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Anshan

$52 8.2% 77.5% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Anshan

$90 14.4% 42.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Anshan

$53 8.5% 30.9% $24

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Anshan

$21 3.3% 55.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $295 in Anshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 140% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $18.00 in Anshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $152 per month, with Anshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Anshan

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,543,696

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Anshan 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Anshan

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 Anshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Anshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 280% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 140% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $295 in Anshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Anshan – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,381 per month in Barcelona versus $626 in Anshan – a 280% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $626 in Anshan versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Anshan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Anshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Anshan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Anshan 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 Anshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 280% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.