Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and China

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jump to prices
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,405
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 89.9% more expensive than China without rent, and 206.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 97.2% more expensive than China without rent, and 159.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.98 €16.05
$2.90 ¥19.39
520.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.4 €60.2
$22.02 ¥147
206.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.37 €11.93
$5.20 ¥34.74
157.12%
Cappuccino
$3.34 €2.98
$3.04 ¥20.31
9.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 €2.64
$0.52 ¥3.45
467.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 €1.69
$0.28 ¥1.85
578.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.88 €3.46
$1.01 ¥6.75
284.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.57 €4.08
$2.19 ¥14.64
108.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 €1.13
$1.75 ¥11.71
-27.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.96 €1.75
$1.64 ¥10.96
19.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$0.92 ¥6.12
90.22%
Eggs
$4.89 €4.36
$1.59 ¥10.66
207.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.47 €15.59
$12.99 ¥86.8
34.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.06 €8.09
$3.35 ¥22.38
170.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.18 €18.01
$11.18 ¥74.7
80.50%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 €2.75
$1.80 ¥12.02
71.11%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$1.31 ¥8.78
54.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.60 €2.32
$1.47 ¥9.80
76.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.71 €2.42
$1.32 ¥8.79
105.30%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 €1.92
$0.76 ¥5.07
182.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 €1.97
$0.92 ¥6.15
140.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 €1.38
$0.59 ¥3.94
161.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 €0.83
$0.54 ¥3.63
72.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.09 €6.32
$3.79 ¥25.34
87.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.63 €6.81
$12.14 ¥81.1
-37.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 €1.33
$0.82 ¥5.48
81.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 €2.43
$1.63 ¥10.92
67.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.95 €2.63
$0.29 ¥1.93
917.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.91 €23.13
$22.33 ¥149
16.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.13 €2.80
$1.53 ¥10.24
104.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.45 €1.29
$0.35 ¥2.31
314.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.17 €30.49
$7.00 ¥46.79
388.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 €1.60
$1.31 ¥8.77
36.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.7K €31.0K
$19.0K ¥127.1K
82.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K €27.0K
$17.0K ¥113.7K
78.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$181 €161
$54.1 ¥362
233.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.56 €12.10
$8.42 ¥56.3
61.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.12 €31.34
$10.72 ¥71.6
227.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.2 €47.44
$40.72 ¥272
30.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.05 €14.33
$14.58 ¥97.4
10.08%
Cinema Ticket
$11.37 €10.14
$6.76 ¥45.15
68.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$939 €838
$462 ¥3,089
103.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.7K
$19.6K ¥131.0K
-15.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.2 €78.7
$45.57 ¥305
93.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.77 €35.49
$36.05 ¥241
10.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €92.3
$75.4 ¥504
37.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €107
$79.0 ¥528
51.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,513
$386 ¥2,577
339.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,301 €1,161
$240 ¥1,601
442.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,299
$843 ¥5,637
205.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,941 €1,732
$461 ¥3,083
320.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,470 €6,666
$4,590 ¥30.7K
62.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,195 €4,636
$2,279 ¥15.2K
127.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,299 €2,052
$1,060 ¥7,082
117.00%
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 4, 2026

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
China
$240 81.6% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
China
$207 36.2% $118
Eating Out
Barcelona
$272
China
$88 67.7% $184
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
China
$73 68.1% $156
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
China
$106 32.7% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$76
China
$54 28.5% $22
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
China
$27 44.4% $21
Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇨🇳 China
🕒 Local time
07:09 7:09 AM
13:09 1:09 PM
6 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
1,442,965,000
💱 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

CNY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →
On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona China 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • China

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,405
/mo nomad
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,806
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,405
/mo nomad
Berlin
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,545
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,405
/mo nomad
Valencia
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,048
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,405
/mo nomad
Porto
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,946
/mo nomad
Show more

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