Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Jiangmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $510 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
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Jiangmen Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Jiangmen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $510 in Jiangmen.

Barcelona $2,381
Jiangmen $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $989 in Jiangmen.

Barcelona $3,406
Jiangmen $989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,468 in Jiangmen.

Barcelona $4,431
Jiangmen $1,468

Living in Barcelona is roughly 367% more expensive than in Jiangmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Jiangmen is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$3.31 ¥22.12

440.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$29.81 ¥199

121.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$5.33 ¥35.64

156.85%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.22 ¥14.83

37.84%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.43 ¥2.84

613.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.29 ¥1.94

568.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.88 ¥5.91

339.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$1.46 ¥9.78

215.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.57 ¥10.47

-17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.65 ¥11.04

27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.03 ¥6.89

77.67%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.70 ¥11.38

171.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$20.84 ¥139

-16.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$2.18 ¥14.61

325.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$13.63 ¥91.1

45.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.13 ¥14.23

41.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.87 ¥5.85

133.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.23 ¥8.23

115.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.44 ¥9.61

99.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.69 ¥4.60

213.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.98 ¥6.57

119.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.29 ¥1.91

406.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.54 ¥3.63

62.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$2.93 ¥19.56

136.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$11.90 ¥79.5

-34.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.66 ¥4.39

110.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.79 ¥11.99

46.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.44 ¥2.93

561.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.48 ¥9.91

102.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.42 ¥2.81

242.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$6.96 ¥46.53

377.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.30 ¥8.71

43.08%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

69.01%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$16.5K ¥110.5K

91.89%

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

$183 €163

$49.40 ¥330

269.96%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$8.67 ¥58.0

56.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$12.67 ¥84.7

159.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$30.31 ¥203

80.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$4.45 ¥29.76

271.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.42 ¥42.92

74.92%

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

$954 €849

$246 ¥1,645

287.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,415 ¥49.6K

123.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$30.11 ¥201

185.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$39.17 ¥262

-0.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$72.3 ¥484

43.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$44.70 ¥299

165.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$448 ¥2,998

474.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$267 ¥1,782

621.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$6,136 ¥41.0K

18.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,265 ¥8,458

296.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$588 ¥3,932

278.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.35

-2.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Jiangmen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Jiangmen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Jiangmen

$228 44.6% 29.9% $97

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Jiangmen

$79 15.5% 70.6% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Jiangmen

$71 13.9% 69.1% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Jiangmen

$84 16.4% 46.4% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Jiangmen

$43 8.5% 44.1% $34

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Jiangmen

$5.3 * 1.1% 88.7% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Barcelona pays 279% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $30.00 in Jiangmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $228 per month, with Jiangmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

00:05 12:05 AM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

4,448,871

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Jiangmen 9,960 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Jiangmen

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 Jiangmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Jiangmen differ by about 367% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $510 including rent). Jiangmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 279% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $246 in Jiangmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiangmen – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $510 in Jiangmen versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jiangmen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Jiangmen 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 Jiangmen 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 Jiangmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 367% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.