Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hua-lien

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,054 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,054 in Hua-lien.

Barcelona $2,453
Hua-lien $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,788 in Hua-lien.

Barcelona $3,509
Hua-lien $1,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,522 in Hua-lien.

Barcelona $4,564
Hua-lien $2,522

Living in Barcelona is roughly 133% more expensive than in Hua-lien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Hua-lien is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$4.08 NT$133

331.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$27.90 NT$910

141.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$4.13 NT$135

227.60%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.62 NT$85.3

21.76%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.93 NT$30.42

212.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.53 NT$17.23

256.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.33 NT$43.26

201.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.04 NT$66.4

122.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.74 NT$89.2

-52.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.64 NT$53.5

23.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.53 NT$148

-59.16%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.93 NT$62.9

150.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$19.15 NT$624

-12.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$5.93 NT$193

53.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$25.47 NT$831

-22.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.67 NT$87.0

11.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.44 NT$79.5

-17.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.20 NT$104

-15.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.09 NT$101

-9.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.29 NT$74.7

-8.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.35 NT$76.5

-11.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.99 NT$64.9

-26.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.96 NT$31.42

-2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$3.76 NT$122

82.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$12.33 NT$402

-36.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.85 NT$60.4

-23.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.30 NT$74.9

10.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.60 NT$19.45

423.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$33.87 NT$1,104

-24.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.07 NT$100

-2.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.30 NT$9.64

396.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$9.86 NT$321

238.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.91 NT$29.62

97.80%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.5K NT$1.2M

-6.44%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$23.7K NT$772.4K

33.82%

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

$180 €162

$99.3 NT$3,237

81.74%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$18.72 NT$610

-26.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$12.53 NT$409

168.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$35.49 NT$1,157

45.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.12 NT$330

8.60%

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

$917 €821

$729 NT$23.8K

25.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.2K NT$527.1K

1.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$55.5 NT$1,811

56.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$34.63 NT$1,129

11.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$76.5 NT$2,495

38.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$103 NT$3,359

16.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$417 NT$13.6K

307.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$254 NT$8,268

434.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,025 NT$33.4K

154.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$749 NT$24.4K

175.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$7,568 NT$246.7K

-8.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$4,914 NT$160.2K

4.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,802 NT$91.4K

-21.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.13

53.99%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hua-lien: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Hua-lien

$254 24.1% 81.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Hua-lien

$359 34.1% 11.5% $37

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Hua-lien

$93 8.8% 65.3% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Hua-lien

$131 12.4% 42.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Hua-lien

$121 11.5% 23.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Hua-lien

$56 5.3% 24.2% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Hua-lien

$41 3.9% 15.8% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $417 in Hua-lien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 27% 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 $28 in Hua-lien. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $359, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

105,034

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Hua-lien 10,440 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,054 in Hua-lien, so Hua-lien is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $417 in Hua-lien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $729 in Hua-lien. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Hua-lien is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Hua-lien are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.