Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Chenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $2,453 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Chenzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $721 in Chenzhou.

Barcelona $2,453
Chenzhou $721

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,197 in Chenzhou.

Barcelona $3,509
Chenzhou $1,197

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,674 in Chenzhou.

Barcelona $4,564
Chenzhou $1,674

Living in Barcelona is roughly 240% more expensive than in Chenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Chenzhou is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$3.03 ¥20.15

480.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$22.13 ¥147

204.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$4.86 ¥32.33

178.40%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$1.54 ¥10.24

107.14%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$0.51 ¥3.41

470.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.27 ¥1.80

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$1.29 ¥8.58

210.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$1.89 ¥12.59

139.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.97 ¥13.09

-33.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.38 ¥15.83

-15.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$0.79 ¥5.23

134.18%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$1.72 ¥11.46

180.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$13.15 ¥87.5

27.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$4.13 ¥27.47

120.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$11.57 ¥77.0

69.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$0.59 ¥3.92

405.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.18 ¥7.82

71.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$0.73 ¥4.87

269.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.19 ¥7.89

135.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.97 ¥6.49

115.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.54 ¥10.24

34.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.61 ¥4.04

139.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.49 ¥3.23

91.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$3.02 ¥20.08

127.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$12.71 ¥84.6

-37.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.04 ¥6.91

35.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.57 ¥10.45

61.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.31 ¥2.05

912.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$15.40 ¥103

65.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$1.52 ¥10.09

96.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.29 ¥1.93

413.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$4.60 ¥30.59

625.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.29 ¥8.59

39.53%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$19.3K ¥128.3K

72.10%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$17.4K ¥115.6K

82.43%

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

$180 €162

$56.3 ¥375

220.33%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$8.94 ¥59.5

54.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$11.27 ¥75.0

199.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$42.59 ¥283

20.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$14.67 ¥97.6

8.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$6.48 ¥43.13

69.60%

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

$917 €823

$329 ¥2,188

178.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.9K ¥112.3K

-2.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$84.2 ¥561

3.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$35.01 ¥233

10.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$89.1 ¥593

18.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$58.9 ¥392

103.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$310 ¥2,061

448.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$163 ¥1,086

730.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$584 ¥3,885

345.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$414 ¥2,753

398.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,531 ¥23.5K

95.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$1,917 ¥12.8K

167.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

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 Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Chenzhou

$163 22.6% 88% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Chenzhou

$215 29.8% 33.2% $107

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Chenzhou

$71 9.8% 73.6% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Chenzhou

$77 10.6% 66.4% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Chenzhou

$120 16.7% 23.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Chenzhou

$56 7.7% 24.4% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Chenzhou

$20 2.7% 59.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $310 in Chenzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $22 in Chenzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $215 per month, with Chenzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

4,667,134

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 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 Chenzhou 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Chenzhou

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 Chenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Chenzhou differ by about 240% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $721 including rent). Chenzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,081 in Chenzhou 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $310 in Chenzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $329 in Chenzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $721 in Chenzhou versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chenzhou but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Chenzhou 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 Chenzhou 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.