Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $815 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Dongguan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $815 in Dongguan.

Barcelona $2,381
Dongguan $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,295 in Dongguan.

Barcelona $3,406
Dongguan $1,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,775 in Dongguan.

Barcelona $4,431
Dongguan $1,775

Living in Barcelona is roughly 192% more expensive than in Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Dongguan is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.64 ¥17.64

577.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$22.83 ¥153

189.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$5.20 ¥34.75

163.27%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.61 ¥17.44

17.24%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.48 ¥3.18

539.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.31 ¥2.09

525.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.88 ¥5.90

339.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.23 ¥14.88

106.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.59 ¥10.61

-18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.63 ¥10.93

28.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.97 ¥6.50

88.66%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.59 ¥10.66

190.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$21.14 ¥141

-17.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$3.28 ¥21.96

182.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.27 ¥95.4

38.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.25 ¥15.03

33.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.56 ¥10.45

30.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.85 ¥12.39

43.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.49 ¥9.98

92.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.04 ¥6.95

107.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.24 ¥8.30

73.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.56 ¥3.75

162.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.58 ¥3.90

51.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$4.45 ¥29.79

55.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$12.18 ¥81.5

-35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.92 ¥6.17

51.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.76 ¥11.74

49.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.35 ¥2.37

731.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$22.38 ¥150

13.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.18 ¥7.86

154.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.41 ¥2.75

251.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$4.44 ¥29.68

647.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.31 ¥8.77

41.98%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

67.59%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$17.6K ¥117.9K

79.73%

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

$183 €163

$63.1 ¥422

189.87%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$9.11 ¥60.9

49.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$12.96 ¥86.7

154.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$51.6 ¥345

5.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$16.09 ¥108

2.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$7.53 ¥50.3

49.14%

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

$954 €849

$531 ¥3,550

79.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$24.3K ¥162.8K

-31.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$46.78 ¥313

83.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$40.30 ¥269

-2.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$72.5 ¥485

42.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$39.04 ¥261

203.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$380 ¥2,538

346.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$219 ¥1,461

483.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$662 ¥4,423

289.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$431 ¥2,884

345.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$5,650 ¥37.8K

28.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,075 ¥20.6K

62.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$856 ¥5,725

160.05%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Dongguan

$219 26.8% 82.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Dongguan

$248 30.4% 23.7% $77

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Dongguan

$80 9.8% 70.3% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Dongguan

$85 10.5% 62.9% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Dongguan

$89 11% 42.8% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Dongguan

$67 8.2% 13.6% $10

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Dongguan

$27 3.3% 42.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $380 in Dongguan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 160% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $23.00 in Dongguan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $248 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

8,254,100

💱 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 Dongguan 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Dongguan

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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Dongguan differ by about 192% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $815 including rent). Dongguan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 160% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $380 in Dongguan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $531 in Dongguan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $815 in Dongguan versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan 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 Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.