Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Jiaxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaxing: $637 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Jiaxing
Learn more

Jiaxing Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Jiaxing

🇨🇳 China

$637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Jiaxing

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $637 in Jiaxing.

Barcelona $2,453
Jiaxing $637

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,073 in Jiaxing.

Barcelona $3,509
Jiaxing $1,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,509 in Jiaxing.

Barcelona $4,564
Jiaxing $1,509

Living in Barcelona is roughly 285% more expensive than in Jiaxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Jiaxing is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$3.02 ¥20.07

482.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$22.92 ¥152

194.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$4.45 ¥29.61

204.04%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.13 ¥20.82

1.92%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.49 ¥3.25

493.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.31 ¥2.09

509.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$0.72 ¥4.76

456.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.18 ¥14.53

107.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.90 ¥12.66

-31.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.01 ¥13.39

0.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$0.57 ¥3.82

224.56%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.91 ¥12.74

152.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$7.68 ¥51.1

117.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$3.34 ¥22.21

173.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$7.57 ¥50.4

159.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.60 ¥10.68

86.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.15 ¥7.65

75.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.01 ¥6.71

167.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.64 ¥4.27

337.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.57 ¥3.82

266.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.80 ¥5.32

158.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.51 ¥3.42

186.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.59 ¥3.90

59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$5.32 ¥35.39

29.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$11.91 ¥79.3

-33.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.73 ¥4.88

93.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.37 ¥9.10

85.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.23 ¥1.53

1265.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$16.82 ¥112

51.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.17 ¥7.80

155.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.42 ¥2.81

254.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$7.45 ¥49.56

347.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.26 ¥8.38

42.86%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

70.69%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$19.0K ¥126.4K

66.92%

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

$180 €162

$36.89 ¥245

389.05%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$11.70 ¥77.9

18.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$5.10 ¥33.91

560.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$37.89 ¥252

35.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$7.48 ¥49.74

113.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$5.28 ¥35.13

108.14%

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

$917 €821

$431 ¥2,866

112.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$13.0K ¥86.2K

27.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$35.02 ¥233

148.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$21.81 ¥145

76.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$63.5 ¥422

66.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$45.49 ¥303

163.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$282 ¥1,874

503.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$177 ¥1,178

665.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$774 ¥5,148

236.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$444 ¥2,952

364.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$3,887 ¥25.9K

77.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,072 ¥13.8K

147.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$736 ¥4,898

200.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.13

4.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jiaxing: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Jiaxing

$177 27.8% 86.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Jiaxing

$176 27.7% 45.2% $145

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Jiaxing

$86 13.5% 67.8% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Jiaxing

$54 8.4% 76.4% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Jiaxing

$75 11.7% 52.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Jiaxing

$48 7.6% 34.1% $25

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Jiaxing

$21 3.3% 56.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $282 in Jiaxing. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3 times 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $23 in Jiaxing for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $176 per month, with Jiaxing cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Jiaxing

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

3,563,700

💱 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 Jiaxing 9,820 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Jiaxing

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 Jiaxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $637 in Jiaxing, so Jiaxing is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 3 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 $282 in Jiaxing. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $431 in Jiaxing. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $637 in Jiaxing versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Jiaxing but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Jiaxing 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 Jiaxing gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.