Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Guilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $655 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
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Guilin Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Guilin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $655 in Guilin.

Barcelona $2,453
Guilin $655

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,046 in Guilin.

Barcelona $3,509
Guilin $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,436 in Guilin.

Barcelona $4,564
Guilin $1,436

Living in Barcelona is roughly 274% more expensive than in Guilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Guilin is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$2.21 ¥14.68

695.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$15.11 ¥100

346.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$3.02 ¥20.05

348.01%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.07 ¥13.72

54.11%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.40 ¥2.65

627.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.31 ¥2.08

509.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$0.83 ¥5.54

383.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.14 ¥14.23

111.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.48 ¥9.80

-11.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.30 ¥8.63

55.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$0.63 ¥4.19

193.65%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.76 ¥11.69

174.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.08 ¥86.9

27.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$3.29 ¥21.85

177.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$11.43 ¥76.0

71.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.51 ¥10.05

97.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.21 ¥8.05

66.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.06 ¥7.05

154.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.92 ¥6.10

204.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.71 ¥4.69

194.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.90 ¥6.00

130.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.56 ¥3.75

160.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.43 ¥2.87

118.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$3.84 ¥25.53

78.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$10.65 ¥70.8

-25.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.86 ¥5.72

63.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.53 ¥10.15

66.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.29 ¥1.93

982.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$17.76 ¥118

43.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.38 ¥9.18

116.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.31 ¥2.07

380.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$8.12 ¥53.9

310.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.17 ¥7.77

53.85%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$19.5K ¥129.4K

70.50%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$18.0K ¥119.5K

76.27%

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

$180 €162

$24.16 ¥161

646.73%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$5.06 ¥33.63

173.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$11.06 ¥73.5

204.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$41.98 ¥279

22.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$14.59 ¥96.9

9.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$5.12 ¥34.04

114.65%

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

$917 €821

$468 ¥3,111

95.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$18.8K ¥124.8K

-12.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$42.25 ¥281

105.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$32.05 ¥213

20.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$75.2 ¥500

40.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$75.0 ¥498

59.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$281 ¥1,870

503.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$186 ¥1,236

628.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$597 ¥3,967

335.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$362 ¥2,402

470.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,368 ¥9,090

405.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,942 ¥12.9K

163.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$485 ¥3,221

356.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.36

-2.38%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guilin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Guilin

$186 28.4% 86.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Guilin

$191 29.1% 40.7% $131

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Guilin

$63 9.6% 76.6% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Guilin

$40 6.2% 82.3% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Guilin

$101 15.4% 36% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Guilin

$52 8% 29% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Guilin

$22 3.3% 54.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $281 in Guilin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $15 in Guilin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $191 per month, with Guilin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Guilin

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

4,931,137

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Guilin 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Guilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $655 in Guilin, so Guilin is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 4.6 times higher, 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $281 in Guilin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $468 in Guilin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $655 in Guilin versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guilin but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Guilin 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.

Expats usually find Guilin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.