Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Changde

For one person, living is cheaper in Changde: $654 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Changde
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Changde Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Changde

🇨🇳 China

$654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Changde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $654 in Changde.

Barcelona $2,453
Changde $654

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,126 in Changde.

Barcelona $3,509
Changde $1,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,599 in Changde.

Barcelona $4,564
Changde $1,599

Living in Barcelona is roughly 275% more expensive than in Changde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Changde is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$2.18 ¥14.54

706.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$18.34 ¥122

267.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$5.06 ¥33.66

167.39%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.30 ¥15.30

38.70%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.43 ¥2.89

576.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.25 ¥1.65

656.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.23 ¥8.21

226.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$1.97 ¥13.10

129.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.54 ¥10.24

-14.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.30 ¥15.33

-12.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$0.94 ¥6.22

96.81%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.74 ¥11.57

177.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$12.85 ¥85.5

30.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$4.05 ¥26.93

125.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$11.60 ¥77.2

69.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.62 ¥10.80

83.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.16 ¥7.75

74.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.13 ¥7.55

138.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.87 ¥5.80

221.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.59 ¥3.91

254.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.72 ¥4.79

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.38 ¥2.55

284.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.49 ¥3.26

91.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$2.91 ¥19.38

136.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$12.45 ¥82.8

-36.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.05 ¥6.97

34.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$0.79 ¥5.24

221.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.31 ¥2.08

912.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$18.31 ¥122

39.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.22 ¥8.15

145.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.31 ¥2.07

380.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$4.48 ¥29.78

644.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.31 ¥8.71

37.40%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$19.3K ¥128.2K

72.28%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$17.4K ¥116.0K

81.87%

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

$180 €162

$57.9 ¥385

211.70%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$9.34 ¥62.1

48.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$11.28 ¥75.1

198.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$41.58 ¥277

23.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$15.20 ¥101

5.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$5.84 ¥38.88

88.18%

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

$917 €821

$333 ¥2,213

175.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.5K ¥110.1K

-0.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$82.7 ¥550

5.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$34.87 ¥232

10.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$87.9 ¥585

20.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$59.2 ¥394

102.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$133 ¥885

1177.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$98.5 ¥655

1275.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$597 ¥3,969

336.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$367 ¥2,441

462.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$3,533 ¥23.5K

95.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$1,951 ¥13.0K

162.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$764 ¥5,086

189.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.46

-5.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Changde: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Changde

$99 15.1% 92.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Changde

$209 32% 35% $113

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Changde

$73 11.2% 72.7% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Changde

$79 12% 65.6% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Changde

$119 18.2% 24.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Changde

$53 8.2% 27.5% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Changde

$22 3.4% 53.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $133 in Changde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.9 times 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $18 in Changde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $209 per month, with Changde cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Changde

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

5,717,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Changde 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Changde

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 Changde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $654 in Changde, so Changde is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2.9 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 $133 in Changde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $333 in Changde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $654 in Changde versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Changde but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Changde 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.

Expats usually find Changde gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.