Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Jiaozuo

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaozuo: $674 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Jiaozuo
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Jiaozuo Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Jiaozuo

🇨🇳 China

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Jiaozuo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $674 in Jiaozuo.

Barcelona $2,381
Jiaozuo $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,059 in Jiaozuo.

Barcelona $3,406
Jiaozuo $1,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,445 in Jiaozuo.

Barcelona $4,431
Jiaozuo $1,445

Living in Barcelona is roughly 253% more expensive than in Jiaozuo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Jiaozuo is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$1.82 ¥12.16

882.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$16.41 ¥110

303.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.59 ¥30.70

198.26%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.48 ¥16.57

23.39%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.42 ¥2.78

630.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.26 ¥1.72

646.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.85 ¥5.71

355.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$1.68 ¥11.22

174.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.68 ¥11.26

-22.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.58 ¥10.60

32.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.69 ¥4.60

165.22%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$0.96 ¥6.40

381.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$8.43 ¥56.4

105.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$2.41 ¥16.11

285.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$8.26 ¥55.2

140.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.18 ¥7.87

155.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.98 ¥6.59

107.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.63 ¥4.20

320.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.57 ¥3.83

403.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.53 ¥3.55

307.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.47 ¥3.14

357.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.40 ¥2.66

267.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.73 ¥4.86

20.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$2.54 ¥17.00

172.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$9.79 ¥65.5

-20.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.68 ¥4.58

104.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.02 ¥13.50

30.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.31 ¥2.08

838.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$17.86 ¥119

42.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.53 ¥10.25

96.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.31 ¥2.10

364.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$3.66 ¥24.48

807.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.98 ¥6.53

89.80%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.2K ¥128.3K

68.50%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$17.6K ¥117.4K

80.60%

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

$183 €163

$60.1 ¥402

204.19%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$7.17 ¥47.97

89.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$9.16 ¥61.3

259.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$57.7 ¥386

-5.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$15.04 ¥101

9.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$3.94 ¥26.37

185.03%

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

$954 €849

$177 ¥1,182

439.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$21.6K ¥144.2K

-22.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$43.93 ¥294

95.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$34.16 ¥228

14.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$73.3 ¥490

41.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$65.3 ¥437

81.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$296 ¥1,982

471.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$185 ¥1,238

589.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$622 ¥4,158

314.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$380 ¥2,541

405.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,585 ¥17.3K

181.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,965 ¥13.1K

154.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$566 ¥3,786

293.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.29

-0.30%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Jiaozuo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Jiaozuo

$185 27.5% 85.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Jiaozuo

$158 23.5% 51.3% $167

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Jiaozuo

$68 10.2% 74.6% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Jiaozuo

$76 11.3% 66.7% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Jiaozuo

$97 14.5% 37.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Jiaozuo

$66 9.7% 15% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Jiaozuo

$22 3.3% 53.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $296 in Jiaozuo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 293% 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 $16.00 in Jiaozuo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $158 per month, with Jiaozuo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Jiaozuo

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

04:30 4:30 AM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

3,539,860

💱 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 Jiaozuo 8,980 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 Jiaozuo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Jiaozuo differ by about 253% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $674 including rent). Jiaozuo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 293% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $296 in Jiaozuo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $177 in Jiaozuo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $674 in Jiaozuo versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jiaozuo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Jiaozuo 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 Jiaozuo 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 Jiaozuo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 253% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.