Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bengbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bengbu: $670 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bengbu
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Bengbu Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Bengbu

🇨🇳 China

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bengbu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $670 in Bengbu.

Barcelona $2,381
Bengbu $670

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,068 in Bengbu.

Barcelona $3,406
Bengbu $1,068

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,466 in Bengbu.

Barcelona $4,431
Bengbu $1,466

Living in Barcelona is roughly 255% more expensive than in Bengbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Bengbu is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.18 ¥14.59

720.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$10.31 ¥69.0

541.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.73 ¥31.63

189.43%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.13 ¥20.93

-2.24%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.47 ¥3.14

553.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.27 ¥1.81

618.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.48 ¥9.88

161.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.18 ¥14.55

111.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.15 ¥14.38

-39.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.03 ¥6.86

103.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.77 ¥5.15

137.66%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.32 ¥8.84

250.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.62 ¥71.0

63.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$3.07 ¥20.56

202.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$8.70 ¥58.2

127.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.53 ¥10.22

96.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.02 ¥6.84

99.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.52 ¥10.14

74.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.78 ¥5.19

267.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.63 ¥4.21

242.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.63 ¥4.19

241.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.72 ¥4.79

104.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.44 ¥2.93

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$2.97 ¥19.88

133.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.96 ¥39.84

31.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.73 ¥4.90

90.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.53 ¥10.24

71.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.31 ¥2.09

838.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$20.48 ¥137

24.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.65 ¥11.06

81.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.38 ¥2.55

278.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$8.83 ¥59.1

275.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.28 ¥8.58

45.31%

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

$17.3K ¥115.8K

83.06%

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

$183 €163

$37.93 ¥254

381.83%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$5.08 ¥33.97

167.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$6.96 ¥46.52

373.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$41.61 ¥278

31.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$14.54 ¥97.2

13.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.08 ¥40.62

84.70%

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

$954 €849

$402 ¥2,685

137.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$22.2K ¥148.7K

-25.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$42.61 ¥285

101.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$34.17 ¥228

14.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$66.4 ¥444

56.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$86.2 ¥576

37.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$304 ¥2,035

457.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$187 ¥1,251

581.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$605 ¥4,044

325.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$403 ¥2,693

377.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,171 ¥21.2K

129.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,085 ¥13.9K

140.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$669 ¥4,472

232.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.42

-4.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bengbu: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Bengbu

$187 27.9% 85.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Bengbu

$167 24.9% 48.6% $158

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Bengbu

$84 12.5% 68.9% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Bengbu

$50 7.5% 78.2% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Bengbu

$103 15.4% 34% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Bengbu

$54 8% 30.3% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Bengbu

$25 3.8% 46.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $304 in Bengbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 233% 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 $10.00 in Bengbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $167 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Bengbu

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

00:05 12:05 AM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

3,296,408

💱 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Bengbu 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Bengbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Bengbu differ by about 255% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $670 including rent). Bengbu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 233% 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 $304 in Bengbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $402 in Bengbu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $670 in Bengbu versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bengbu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bengbu 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 Bengbu 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 Bengbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 255% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.