Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Beihai Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Beihai

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $704 in Beihai.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,138 in Beihai.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $1,573 in Beihai.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 236% more expensive than Beihai, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Beihai is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.25

$2.82 ¥19.05

523.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €59.4

$21.25 ¥144

222.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.19

$4.78 ¥32.32

194.14%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.41

$2.92 ¥19.78

-4.79%

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

$2.80 €2.43

$0.46 ¥3.11

508.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.79

$0.27 ¥1.81

662.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.87

$0.87 ¥5.87

412.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.00

$2.12 ¥14.34

117.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.08

$1.78 ¥12.02

-30.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.76

$1.61 ¥10.90

26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.67

$0.90 ¥6.06

113.33%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.87

$1.57 ¥10.61

110.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.99

$12.81 ¥86.6

43.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.23

$3.20 ¥21.67

196.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.62

$10.36 ¥70.1

84.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.29

$1.77 ¥11.99

49.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.12

$1.25 ¥8.47

96.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.84

$1.36 ¥9.23

55.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.47

$1.08 ¥7.32

163.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.77

$0.67 ¥4.50

204.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.61

$0.97 ¥6.53

90.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.28

$0.60 ¥4.03

145.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.55 ¥3.69

52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.20

$3.15 ¥21.31

126.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.84

$11.43 ¥77.3

-31.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.20

$0.79 ¥5.33

74.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.00

$1.60 ¥10.81

44.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.59

$0.27 ¥1.81

1003.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.38

$16.93 ¥115

72.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.99

$1.36 ¥9.20

238.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.79

$0.35 ¥2.38

491.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.31

$6.86 ¥46.43

325.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.60

$1.13 ¥7.67

62.83%

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

$39.0K €33.8K

$19.2K ¥129.7K

103.50%

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

$32.7K €28.4K

$16.7K ¥113.1K

95.64%

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

$188 €163

$46.09 ¥312

307.51%

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

$22.93 €19.90

$9.87 ¥66.7

132.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.85

$11.52 ¥78.0

218.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.77

$41.94 ¥284

36.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.95

$13.82 ¥93.5

49.78%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.71

$6.41 ¥43.37

74.57%

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

$721 €625

$340 ¥2,297

112.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.1K

$17.2K ¥116.5K

-12.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.8

$42.73 ¥289

101.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €32.16

$30.04 ¥203

23.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €88.5

$71.9 ¥487

41.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €101

$74.4 ¥503

55.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,330

$275 ¥1,863

456.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,059

$186 ¥1,259

555.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,338

$593 ¥4,011

354.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,746

$357 ¥2,417

463.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,264

$3,044 ¥20.6K

137.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,501

$1,709 ¥11.6K

203.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,047

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

3.87

-12.40%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Beihai: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $275 in Beihai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $21.00 in Beihai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $199 per month, with Beihai cheaper across the board.

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

Barcelona and Beihai differ by about 236% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $704 including rent). Beihai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,550 in Barcelona and $1,055 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $275 in Beihai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $340 in Beihai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $704 in Beihai versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Beihai but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Beihai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Beihai 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 Beihai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 236% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.