Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cixi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $709 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
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Cixi Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Cixi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $709 in Cixi.

Barcelona $2,381
Cixi $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,125 in Cixi.

Barcelona $3,406
Cixi $1,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,542 in Cixi.

Barcelona $4,431
Cixi $1,542

Living in Barcelona is roughly 236% more expensive than in Cixi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Cixi is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.75 ¥18.38

550.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$21.47 ¥144

208.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.78 ¥31.99

186.40%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.98 ¥19.94

2.68%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.43 ¥2.88

613.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.29 ¥1.94

568.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.94 ¥6.30

311.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.12 ¥14.19

117.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.87 ¥12.50

-30.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.57 ¥10.48

33.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.97 ¥6.51

88.66%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.54 ¥10.30

200.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$12.61 ¥84.3

37.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$3.12 ¥20.89

197.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$10.08 ¥67.4

96.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.81 ¥12.10

66.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.25 ¥8.36

62.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.54 ¥10.30

72.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.09 ¥7.29

163.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.70 ¥4.65

208.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.94 ¥6.30

128.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.59 ¥3.96

149.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.54 ¥3.63

62.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.05 ¥20.39

127.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$10.52 ¥70.3

-25.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.74 ¥4.93

87.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.64 ¥10.96

60.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.29 ¥1.96

903.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$16.43 ¥110

54.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.43 ¥9.54

109.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.36 ¥2.38

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$6.57 ¥43.90

405.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.13 ¥7.54

64.60%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

69.07%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$17.4K ¥116.5K

81.92%

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

$183 €163

$45.68 ¥305

300.09%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$9.85 ¥65.8

38.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$11.86 ¥79.3

177.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$41.22 ¥276

32.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$13.86 ¥92.7

19.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.82 ¥38.92

92.96%

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

$954 €849

$334 ¥2,231

185.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$16.5K ¥110.6K

0.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$42.93 ¥287

100.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$30.21 ¥202

29.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$71.7 ¥479

44.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$72.1 ¥482

64.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$280 ¥1,875

504.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$190 ¥1,268

573.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$590 ¥3,942

336.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$358 ¥2,394

436.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,020 ¥20.2K

141.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,070 ¥13.8K

142.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.89

-15.68%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cixi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Cixi

$190 26.7% 85.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Cixi

$197 27.8% 39.4% $128

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Cixi

$84 11.8% 68.8% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Cixi

$67 9.5% 70.6% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Cixi

$98 13.8% 37.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Cixi

$53 7.5% 31.5% $24

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Cixi

$21 2.9% 56% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $280 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $21.00 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $197 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Cixi

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

11:37 11:37 AM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,829,488

💱 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 Cixi 9,900 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barcelona vs Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Cixi differ by about 236% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $709 including rent). Cixi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $1,064 in Cixi 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $280 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $334 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Cixi versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi 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 Cixi 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 Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 236% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.