Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Changshu

For one person, living is cheaper in Changshu: $712 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Changshu
Learn more

Changshu Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Changshu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $712 in Changshu.

Barcelona $2,443
Changshu $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,135 in Changshu.

Barcelona $3,519
Changshu $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,558 in Changshu.

Barcelona $4,595
Changshu $1,558

Living in Barcelona is roughly 243% more expensive than in Changshu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Changshu is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$2.86 ¥19.01

517.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$22.02 ¥147

206.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$5.01 ¥33.36

171.66%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$2.95 ¥19.66

5.08%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.47 ¥3.10

538.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.27 ¥1.79

614.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$0.94 ¥6.27

308.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$2.03 ¥13.54

114.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.78 ¥11.84

-29.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.60 ¥10.65

32.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.90 ¥5.96

118.89%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$1.59 ¥10.58

199.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$12.91 ¥86.0

32.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$3.13 ¥20.86

186.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$10.04 ¥66.8

105.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$1.82 ¥12.13

73.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.25 ¥8.30

57.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.48 ¥9.86

79.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.14 ¥7.56

152.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.70 ¥4.67

194.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.94 ¥6.29

131.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.56 ¥3.76

173.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.54 ¥3.62

79.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$3.16 ¥21.07

120.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

$10.53 ¥70.1

-25.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.80 ¥5.33

77.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.65 ¥10.99

63.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.27 ¥1.77

1125.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

$16.99 ¥113

50.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.43 ¥9.52

115.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.33 ¥2.19

348.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

$6.88 ¥45.79

377.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.17 ¥7.76

59.83%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$19.1K ¥127.4K

72.25%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$17.1K ¥113.9K

86.71%

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

$183 €163

$45.53 ¥303

301.60%

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

$14.24 €12.69

$9.56 ¥63.6

48.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

$11.58 ¥77.1

198.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$41.24 ¥275

24.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

$14.17 ¥94.3

15.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$6.03 ¥40.18

83.42%

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

$944 €841

$333 ¥2,214

183.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$16.8K ¥111.8K

32.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$44.16 ¥294

98.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

$30.30 ¥202

27.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$71.5 ¥476

46.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$71.4 ¥475

64.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

$283 ¥1,881

500.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$190 ¥1,265

603.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$591 ¥3,938

355.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$367 ¥2,444

465.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

$3,049 ¥20.3K

134.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$2,030 ¥13.5K

150.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.89

-17.99%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Changshu: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Changshu

$190 26.7% 85.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Changshu

$198 27.8% 39.7% $130

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Changshu

$85 12% 68.1% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Changshu

$67 9.4% 71.2% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Changshu

$98 13.8% 37.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Changshu

$53 7.5% 27.5% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Changshu

$21 3% 57.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $283 in Changshu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $22 in Changshu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $198 per month, with Changshu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Changshu

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,677,050

💱 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 Changshu 9,740 km ≈ 13 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 Changshu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $712 in Changshu, so Changshu is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $1,067 in Changshu 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $283 in Changshu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $333 in Changshu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $712 in Changshu versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Changshu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Changshu 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 Changshu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Changshu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.