Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Douliu

For one person, living is cheaper in Douliu: $1,118 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Douliu, Taiwan
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Douliu
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,118
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Douliu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,118 in Douliu.

  • Barcelona $2,443
  • Douliu $1,118

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,864 in Douliu.

  • Barcelona $3,519
  • Douliu $1,864

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,609 in Douliu.

  • Barcelona $4,595
  • Douliu $2,609

Living in Barcelona is roughly 118% more expensive than in Douliu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Douliu is 17% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Douliu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 €15.72
$3.61 NT$120
389.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.1
$21.72 NT$719
210.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.61 €12.12
$5.93 NT$196
129.51%
Cappuccino
$3.10 €2.76
$3.33 NT$110
-6.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.67
$0.87 NT$28.89
244.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.72
$0.67 NT$22.23
188.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 €3.42
$2.88 NT$95.2
33.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.88
$2.07 NT$68.4
110.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Douliu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.11
$3.01 NT$99.7
-58.47%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.89
$1.97 NT$65.2
7.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$2.92 NT$96.7
-32.53%
Eggs
$4.76 €4.24
$2.60 NT$86.1
83.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.07 €15.20
$19.49 NT$645
-12.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.96 €7.97
$9.78 NT$324
-8.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.65 €18.39
$21.17 NT$700
-2.46%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 €2.81
$4.94 NT$163
-36.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$3.18 NT$105
-38.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$2.90 NT$95.8
-8.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.57
$4.40 NT$146
-34.55%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 €1.83
$2.72 NT$90.0
-24.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$2.28 NT$75.4
-4.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.65 NT$54.7
-7.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.86
$1.09 NT$35.92
-11.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.97 €6.20
$3.86 NT$128
80.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.02
$14.04 NT$465
-43.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.26
$1.65 NT$54.7
-13.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 €2.39
$2.14 NT$70.9
25.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Douliu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.31 €2.95
$0.55 NT$18.15
501.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.61 €22.80
$36.05 NT$1,193
-28.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 €2.75
$2.63 NT$87.0
17.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.32
$0.74 NT$24.36
100.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.87 €29.27
$9.14 NT$303
259.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.01 NT$33.33
85.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.4K
$34.1K NT$1.1M
-3.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.4K
$23.5K NT$776.5K
36.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Douliu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$84.7 NT$2,802
115.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.24 €12.68
$17.34 NT$574
-17.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.56 €30.78
$26.51 NT$877
30.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Douliu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 €45.79
$35.25 NT$1,166
45.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 €14.59
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.85
$9.52 NT$315
16.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Douliu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$944 €840
$567 NT$18.8K
66.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K €19.8K
$23.2K NT$767.2K
-3.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Douliu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.7 €78.1
$67.5 NT$2,235
29.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 €34.52
$39.00 NT$1,291
-0.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.1
$84.8 NT$2,806
23.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €105
$104 NT$3,454
12.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Douliu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 €1,511
$414 NT$13.7K
310.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 €1,190
$253 NT$8,386
427.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,692 €2,397
$1,171 NT$38.8K
129.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,077 €1,849
$724 NT$23.9K
186.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,155 €6,371
$5,793 NT$191.7K
23.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,079 €4,522
$3,726 NT$123.3K
36.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Douliu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,241 €1,996
$2,471 NT$81.8K
-9.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.19
2.37
34.60%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Douliu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Douliu
$253 81% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$328
Douliu
$393 20% $65
Eating Out
Barcelona
$267
Douliu
$111 58.3% $156
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$232
Douliu
$129 44.5% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$157
Douliu
$133 15.2% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Douliu
$54 26.2% $19
Getting Around
Barcelona
$49
Douliu
$45 9.7% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $414 in Douliu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Douliu pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $22 in Douliu. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $393, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇹🇼 Douliu
🕒 Local time
06:59 6:59 AM
13:59 1:59 PM
7 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
108,401
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.09 TWD (100 TWD = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 37.15 TWD (100 TWD = 2.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Douliu 10,390 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Douliu

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 Douliu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Douliu?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,118 in Douliu, so Douliu is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Douliu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $414 in Douliu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Douliu?
Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $567 in Douliu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Douliu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Douliu?
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.
Is Barcelona or Douliu safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Douliu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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