Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Changzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Changzhou: $741 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Changzhou
Learn more

Changzhou Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Changzhou

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Changzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $741 in Changzhou.

Barcelona $2,399
Changzhou $741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,217 in Changzhou.

Barcelona $3,410
Changzhou $1,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,694 in Changzhou.

Barcelona $4,421
Changzhou $1,694

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Changzhou is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$2.92 ¥19.50

514.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$28.54 ¥191

138.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$4.51 ¥30.16

194.46%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.22 ¥14.82

46.40%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.38 ¥2.55

692.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.23 ¥1.53

713.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$0.62 ¥4.15

520.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$1.45 ¥9.69

208.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.86 ¥12.47

-30.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.28 ¥8.59

59.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.00 ¥6.65

72.00%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.72 ¥11.53

177.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$7.41 ¥49.53

126.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$2.82 ¥18.85

216.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$12.35 ¥82.6

60.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.16 ¥14.44

37.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.73 ¥11.58

17.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.97 ¥13.14

38.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.04 ¥6.96

157.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.77 ¥5.13

172.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.99 ¥6.63

110.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.39 ¥2.60

271.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.62 ¥4.18

43.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$3.29 ¥22.03

110.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$10.58 ¥70.8

-26.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.82 ¥5.48

76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.56 ¥10.45

64.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.33 ¥2.20

806.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$14.32 ¥95.8

75.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.51 ¥10.09

106.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.31 ¥2.08

364.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$2.93 ¥19.57

1043.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.31 ¥8.74

36.64%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$17.1K ¥114.1K

102.92%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$13.8K ¥92.3K

117.78%

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

$178 €158

$57.5 ¥385

209.25%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$8.13 ¥54.3

63.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$10.66 ¥71.3

227.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$40.60 ¥271

31.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$14.75 ¥98.6

8.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$4.57 ¥30.53

142.01%

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

$957 €851

$251 ¥1,681

280.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$15.1K ¥101.0K

9.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$55.3 ¥370

59.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$22.58 ¥151

74.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$76.0 ¥508

35.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$76.2 ¥510

59.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$285 ¥1,908

479.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$229 ¥1,529

469.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$917 ¥6,132

178.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$495 ¥3,311

286.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$2,942 ¥19.7K

147.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,613 ¥10.8K

214.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,067 ¥7,131

113.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.35

-2.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Changzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Changzhou

$229 30.9% 82.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Changzhou

$192 25.9% 40.1% $128

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Changzhou

$72 9.7% 73.4% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Changzhou

$76 10.3% 66.2% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Changzhou

$104 14% 34.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Changzhou

$50 6.7% 34% $26

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Changzhou

$19 2.5% 60.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $285 in Changzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 114% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $29.00 in Changzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $192 per month, with Changzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Changzhou

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

5,278,121

💱 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 Changzhou 9,680 km ≈ 13 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 Changzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Changzhou differ by about 224% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $741 including rent). Changzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 114% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $285 in Changzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $251 in Changzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $741 in Changzhou versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changzhou but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Changzhou 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 Changzhou 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 Changzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 224% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.