Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Douliu Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Douliu

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,320 in Barcelona versus $1,193 in Douliu.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,426 in Barcelona versus $1,979 in Douliu.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,532 in Barcelona versus $2,766 in Douliu.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 95% more expensive than in Douliu, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 74% above, Douliu is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.46

$3.96 NT$128

345.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 €61.0

$23.27 NT$751

199.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.16 €12.40

$5.68 NT$183

149.30%

Cappuccino

$2.80 €2.45

$3.93 NT$127

-28.75%

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

$2.81 €2.46

$1.13 NT$36.37

148.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.81

$0.75 NT$24.19

174.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.03

$3.37 NT$109

36.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 €4.11

$3.30 NT$106

42.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.08

$3.11 NT$100

-60.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.78

$1.88 NT$60.8

7.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.73

$3.04 NT$98.2

-34.87%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.05

$2.83 NT$91.2

23.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 €16.05

$19.91 NT$643

-7.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 €8.61

$10.15 NT$327

-3.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 €16.75

$20.37 NT$657

-6.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.39

$5.19 NT$168

-47.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.09

$2.99 NT$96.6

-20.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.82

$2.81 NT$90.6

-25.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.41

$4.26 NT$137

-35.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.72

$2.93 NT$94.6

-33.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.57

$2.28 NT$73.7

-21.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.29

$1.99 NT$64.2

-25.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.80

$1.32 NT$42.63

-31.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 €6.25

$4.10 NT$132

73.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.90

$13.87 NT$448

-43.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.21

$1.73 NT$56.0

-20.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.09

$2.40 NT$77.3

-0.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.01 €2.64

$0.84 NT$27.09

258.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.35 €25.71

$39.03 NT$1,260

-24.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 €3.82

$2.90 NT$93.5

50.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 €1.86

$0.79 NT$25.43

169.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.60 €25.93

$10.08 NT$325

193.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.60

$1.04 NT$33.52

75.00%

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

$37.9K €33.2K

$38.1K NT$1.2M

-0.61%

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

$32.4K €28.4K

$28.1K NT$906.5K

15.29%

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

$189 €166

$84.5 NT$2,727

123.70%

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

$22.29 €19.52

$18.83 NT$608

18.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.16 €32.55

$24.75 NT$799

50.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €50.8

$36.63 NT$1,182

58.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.66 €18.09

$15.17 NT$490

36.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.87 €9.52

$11.96 NT$386

-9.11%

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

$706 €618

$643 NT$20.7K

9.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K €13.0K

$18.8K NT$607.7K

-21.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.4 €78.3

$59.0 NT$1,905

51.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.60 €32.06

$33.23 NT$1,073

10.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €91.1

$93.6 NT$3,020

11.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €105

$120 NT$3,879

-0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 €1,383

$429 NT$13.8K

268.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 €1,084

$292 NT$9,436

323.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 €2,375

$1,050 NT$33.9K

158.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 €1,786

$737 NT$23.8K

176.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,527 €6,592

$7,223 NT$233.1K

4.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,239 €4,588

$4,904 NT$158.3K

6.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,364 €2,070

$2,578 NT$83.2K

-8.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

2.19

54.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: July 13, 2026

Last update for Douliu: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,579 in Barcelona and $429 in Douliu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Douliu pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Barcelona vs $23.00 in Douliu. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $400, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

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 Douliu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Douliu differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($2,320 vs $1,193 including rent). Douliu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Douliu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,579 in Barcelona versus $429 in Douliu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Barcelona versus $643 in Douliu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,193 in Douliu versus $2,320 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Douliu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Douliu 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 Douliu 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 Douliu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.