Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Beihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $751 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
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Beihai Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Beihai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $751 in Beihai.

Barcelona $2,453
Beihai $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,202 in Beihai.

Barcelona $3,509
Beihai $1,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,653 in Beihai.

Barcelona $4,564
Beihai $1,653

Living in Barcelona is roughly 227% more expensive than in Beihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Beihai is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$3.39 ¥22.53

418.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$21.37 ¥142

215.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$5.26 ¥35.03

157.22%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.61 ¥17.34

22.22%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$0.53 ¥3.55

449.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.26 ¥1.75

626.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$0.99 ¥6.62

305.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$2.04 ¥13.56

122.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.92 ¥12.80

-31.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.55 ¥10.29

30.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.09 ¥7.24

69.72%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$1.86 ¥12.37

159.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$13.67 ¥91.0

22.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$2.96 ¥19.73

208.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$11.04 ¥73.5

77.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$1.96 ¥13.04

52.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.44 ¥9.55

40.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.37 ¥9.13

97.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.14 ¥7.60

145.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.80 ¥5.29

161.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$0.84 ¥5.61

146.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.60 ¥3.99

143.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.55 ¥3.67

70.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$4.28 ¥28.45

60.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$10.64 ¥70.8

-25.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.76 ¥5.06

85.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.52 ¥10.12

67.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.31 ¥2.06

912.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$18.87 ¥126

34.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$1.36 ¥9.04

119.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.29 ¥1.95

413.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$6.41 ¥42.67

420.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.45 ¥9.62

24.14%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$20.1K ¥133.7K

65.21%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$15.7K ¥104.6K

101.66%

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

$180 €162

$56.6 ¥377

218.63%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$9.10 ¥60.6

52.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$11.34 ¥75.5

197.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$41.57 ¥277

23.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$13.34 ¥88.8

19.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$6.82 ¥45.37

61.14%

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

$917 €823

$486 ¥3,236

88.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$20.1K ¥133.9K

-18.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$42.19 ¥281

106.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$28.87 ¥192

33.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$75.9 ¥505

39.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$76.3 ¥508

56.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$324 ¥2,156

424.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$203 ¥1,348

568.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$618 ¥4,115

320.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$418 ¥2,782

393.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,575 ¥23.8K

93.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$1,823 ¥12.1K

181.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.36

-2.38%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Beihai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Beihai

$203 27% 85% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Beihai

$206 27.5% 35.9% $116

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Beihai

$86 11.5% 67.8% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Beihai

$77 10.3% 66.2% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Beihai

$100 13.4% 36.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Beihai

$55 7.4% 24.9% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Beihai

$23 3.1% 52.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $324 in Beihai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $21 in Beihai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $206 per month, with Beihai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Beihai

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,617,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Beihai 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Beihai

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 Beihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $751 in Beihai, so Beihai is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,126 in Beihai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $324 in Beihai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $486 in Beihai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Beihai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.