Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bortala

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $758 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 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 Bortala
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Bortala Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bortala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $758 in Bortala.

Barcelona $2,453
Bortala $758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,168 in Bortala.

Barcelona $3,509
Bortala $1,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,577 in Bortala.

Barcelona $4,564
Bortala $1,577

Living in Barcelona is roughly 224% more expensive than in Bortala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Bortala is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.71

$2.99 ¥19.86

488.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$22.84 ¥152

195.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.08

$4.86 ¥32.30

178.40%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.79 ¥18.52

14.34%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$0.48 ¥3.18

506.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.32 ¥2.10

490.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$1.11 ¥7.38

261.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.05

$2.16 ¥14.33

109.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.87 ¥12.44

-29.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.59 ¥10.57

27.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.95 ¥6.29

94.74%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.32

$1.60 ¥10.66

201.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.95

$13.42 ¥89.2

24.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$3.36 ¥22.35

171.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.54

$11.29 ¥75.1

73.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$1.89 ¥12.53

57.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.34 ¥8.88

50.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.51 ¥10.01

78.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.26 ¥8.35

122.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$0.75 ¥4.99

178.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.98 ¥6.49

111.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.59 ¥3.95

147.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.59 ¥3.89

59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.14

$3.71 ¥24.68

85.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$11.52 ¥76.6

-31.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.88 ¥5.88

60.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.55 ¥10.30

63.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.81

$0.28 ¥1.87

1021.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.73

$15.99 ¥106

59.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$1.57 ¥10.46

90.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.32 ¥2.15

365.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.81

$7.15 ¥47.55

366.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.17 ¥7.80

53.85%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$19.4K ¥129.0K

71.06%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$15.2K ¥100.8K

108.95%

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

$180 €161

$57.1 ¥380

215.84%

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

$13.84 €12.36

$8.48 ¥56.4

63.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.10

$11.13 ¥74.0

202.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.01

$41.95 ¥279

22.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.26

$14.98 ¥99.6

6.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.82

$6.53 ¥43.39

68.30%

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

$917 €819

$453 ¥3,013

102.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$19.3K ¥128.4K

-14.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$42.79 ¥284

103.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.39

$30.92 ¥206

24.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$75.6 ¥503

39.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$68.3 ¥454

75.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,518

$291 ¥1,932

484.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,211

$214 ¥1,420

534.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,325

$582 ¥3,870

347.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,842

$343 ¥2,280

501.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,176

$3,687 ¥24.5K

87.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,580

$1,825 ¥12.1K

181.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,975

$625 ¥4,156

253.62%

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 Bortala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Bortala

$214 28.2% 84.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Bortala

$210 27.7% 34.8% $112

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Bortala

$85 11.2% 68.3% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Bortala

$77 10.1% 66.3% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Bortala

$98 12.9% 38% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bortala

$55 7.3% 25.2% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Bortala

$20 2.7% 58.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $291 in Bortala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $23 in Bortala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $210 per month, with Bortala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Bortala

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

14:02 2:02 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

246,706

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Bortala 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Bortala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $758 in Bortala, so Bortala is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 3.5 times higher, 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $291 in Bortala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $453 in Bortala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% 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 Bortala 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.