Comparación del coste de vida entre Barcelona y Chengdu Comparación del coste de vida entre Barcelona y Chengdu

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,341 in Barcelona versus $670 in Chengdu.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,462 in Barcelona versus $1,074 in Chengdu.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,582 in Barcelona versus $1,478 in Chengdu.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 249% more expensive than Chengdu, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 75% above, Chengdu is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 €15.08

$2.84 ¥19.42

520.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 €58.8

$24.02 ¥165

186.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.75 €11.77

$4.78 ¥32.72

187.66%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.36

$2.77 ¥19.01

-0.36%

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

$2.78 €2.38

$0.43 ¥2.95

546.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.75

$0.30 ¥2.08

583.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 €3.94

$1.13 ¥7.75

307.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €3.93

$2.04 ¥13.97

125.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.10

$1.82 ¥12.45

-29.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 €1.81

$1.45 ¥9.92

45.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.69

$0.92 ¥6.32

114.13%

Eggs

$3.44 €2.95

$1.94 ¥13.28

77.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 €16.12

$13.50 ¥92.5

39.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 €8.09

$3.52 ¥24.11

168.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 €16.27

$11.22 ¥76.8

69.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.33

$1.92 ¥13.16

41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.03

$1.23 ¥8.39

92.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.78

$1.49 ¥10.24

39.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.36

$1.08 ¥7.40

155.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.69

$0.69 ¥4.75

185.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.53

$0.71 ¥4.84

152.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.29

$0.56 ¥3.84

169.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.77

$0.60 ¥4.14

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.76 €5.79

$3.39 ¥23.21

99.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 €6.46

$5.58 ¥38.20

35.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.23

$1.00 ¥6.88

44.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.06

$1.79 ¥12.26

34.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.59

$0.43 ¥2.96

604.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.39 €24.30

$27.53 ¥189

3.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.79

$1.28 ¥8.79

246.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 €1.76

$0.26 ¥1.77

688.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.33 €25.11

$4.26 ¥29.16

588.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.62

$1.18 ¥8.07

60.17%

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

$38.7K €33.2K

$18.7K ¥127.9K

107.48%

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

$32.4K €27.7K

$16.3K ¥111.9K

98.04%

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

$189 €161

$43.81 ¥300

330.47%

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

$22.21 €19.01

$11.49 ¥78.7

93.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.82 €31.52

$11.73 ¥80.3

213.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €49.64

$24.26 ¥166

139.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.99 €17.97

$11.27 ¥77.2

86.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 €9.46

$5.73 ¥39.23

92.84%

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

$726 €622

$340 ¥2,326

113.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.0K

$12.2K ¥83.4K

25.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 €75.6

$37.27 ¥255

136.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.98 €31.66

$39.16 ¥268

-5.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €87.8

$65.7 ¥450

56.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €102

$50.4 ¥345

136.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,526 €1,307

$308 ¥2,112

395.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 €1,043

$181 ¥1,242

571.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,794 €2,392

$622 ¥4,258

349.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,027 €1,735

$330 ¥2,263

513.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,094 €6,073

$3,887 ¥26.6K

82.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,849 €4,151

$2,045 ¥14.0K

137.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,404 €2,058

$1,210 ¥8,287

98.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

4.21

-19.48%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Barcelona: April 27, 2026

Última actualización para Chengdu: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,526 in Barcelona and $308 in Chengdu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 99% 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: $69.0 in Barcelona vs $24.00 in Chengdu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $197 per month, with Chengdu cheaper across the board.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Barcelona vs Chengdu: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Barcelona and Chengdu differ by about 249% in total monthly costs ($2,341 vs $670 including rent). Chengdu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Barcelona pays 99% more on average, 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: $1,526 in Barcelona versus $308 in Chengdu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $726 in Barcelona versus $340 in Chengdu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $670 in Chengdu versus $2,341 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chengdu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Chengdu 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 Chengdu 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 Chengdu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 249% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.