Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Gongzhuling

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongzhuling: $592 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Gongzhuling
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Gongzhuling Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Gongzhuling

🇨🇳 China

$592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Gongzhuling

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $591 in Gongzhuling.

Barcelona $2,399
Gongzhuling $591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $946 in Gongzhuling.

Barcelona $3,410
Gongzhuling $946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,300 in Gongzhuling.

Barcelona $4,421
Gongzhuling $1,300

Living in Barcelona is roughly 306% more expensive than in Gongzhuling, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Gongzhuling is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.11 ¥14.13

747.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$16.27 ¥109

306.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.57 ¥30.56

199.56%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.99 ¥13.32

53.77%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.47 ¥3.12

553.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.21 ¥1.40

823.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.73 ¥4.88

430.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$1.67 ¥11.15

176.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.38 ¥9.22

-5.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.18 ¥14.57

-3.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.06 ¥7.10

72.64%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.02 ¥6.84

352.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$7.30 ¥48.79

137.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$3.68 ¥24.63

152.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$9.21 ¥61.6

115.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$0.58 ¥3.89

418.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.64 ¥4.28

217.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.54 ¥3.62

390.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.46 ¥3.10

523.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.46 ¥3.09

369.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.51 ¥3.40

321.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.47 ¥3.12

212.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.62 ¥4.12

41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.60 ¥24.08

92.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$10.33 ¥69.1

-24.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.65 ¥4.37

113.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.13 ¥7.59

132.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.31 ¥2.09

838.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$17.60 ¥118

44.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.14 ¥7.60

163.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.36 ¥2.38

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$2.71 ¥18.09

1125.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.30 ¥8.70

43.08%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.7K ¥131.8K

64.02%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$16.2K ¥108.2K

95.82%

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

$183 €163

$28.24 ¥189

547.17%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$6.14 ¥41.02

121.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$10.25 ¥68.5

221.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$41.33 ¥276

32.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$14.83 ¥99.2

11.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.26 ¥35.17

113.50%

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

$954 €849

$397 ¥2,655

140.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$11.6K ¥77.8K

42.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$16.46 ¥110

422.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$22.60 ¥151

73.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$59.1 ¥395

75.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$44.33 ¥296

167.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$301 ¥2,012

463.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$185 ¥1,237

589.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$636 ¥4,251

305.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$371 ¥2,481

417.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,483 ¥23.3K

109.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,937 ¥12.9K

158.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$336 ¥2,246

562.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.5

-6.29%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Gongzhuling: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Gongzhuling

$185 31.2% 85.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Gongzhuling

$161 27.2% 50.5% $164

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Gongzhuling

$64 10.8% 76.2% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Gongzhuling

$45 7.5% 80.5% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Gongzhuling

$64 10.8% 59% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Gongzhuling

$52 8.8% 32.8% $25

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Gongzhuling

$22 3.7% 54% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $300 in Gongzhuling. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 569% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $16.00 in Gongzhuling for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $160 per month, with Gongzhuling cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Gongzhuling

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

17:53 5:53 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

862,313

💱 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 Gongzhuling 8,950 km ≈ 12 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barcelona vs Gongzhuling: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Gongzhuling differ by about 306% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $591 including rent). Gongzhuling is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 569% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $300 in Gongzhuling. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $400 in Gongzhuling. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 100% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $591 in Gongzhuling versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gongzhuling but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Gongzhuling 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 Gongzhuling 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 Gongzhuling gentler on the wallet – expenses run 306% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.