Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Jieyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jieyang: $683 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Jieyang
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Jieyang Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Jieyang

🇨🇳 China

$683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Jieyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $683 in Jieyang.

Barcelona $2,381
Jieyang $683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,078 in Jieyang.

Barcelona $3,406
Jieyang $1,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,474 in Jieyang.

Barcelona $4,431
Jieyang $1,474

Living in Barcelona is roughly 249% more expensive than in Jieyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.04 ¥13.62

776.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$12.95 ¥86.6

410.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$3.79 ¥25.32

261.21%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.44 ¥16.32

25.41%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.47 ¥3.13

553.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.33 ¥2.19

487.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.91 ¥6.09

325.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$1.75 ¥11.67

163.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.47 ¥9.82

-11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.38 ¥15.94

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.99 ¥6.64

84.85%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$0.89 ¥5.94

419.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$11.86 ¥79.3

46.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$2.43 ¥16.23

281.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$11.72 ¥78.3

69.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.95 ¥13.07

54.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.69 ¥4.59

194.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.01 ¥6.78

162.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.04 ¥13.62

40.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.97 ¥6.51

122.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.74 ¥11.62

23.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.46 ¥3.08

219.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.51 ¥3.39

72.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$2.90 ¥19.41

138.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$11.06 ¥73.9

-29.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.84 ¥5.62

65.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.75 ¥11.72

50.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.29 ¥1.94

903.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$18.26 ¥122

39.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.93 ¥6.23

222.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.14 ¥0.94

928.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$7.26 ¥48.53

357.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.93 ¥6.24

100.00%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$12.9K ¥86.4K

150.38%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$11.3K ¥75.9K

179.46%

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

$183 €163

$44.10 ¥295

314.42%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$8.85 ¥59.1

53.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$11.15 ¥74.6

195.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$41.70 ¥279

31.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$14.70 ¥98.3

12.38%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.13 ¥41.01

83.20%

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

$954 €849

$490 ¥3,273

94.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-32.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$21.25 ¥142

304.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$29.23 ¥195

33.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$60.0 ¥401

72.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$87.6 ¥585

35.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$301 ¥2,014

462.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$185 ¥1,238

589.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$621 ¥4,153

314.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$378 ¥2,526

408.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,444 ¥23.0K

111.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,936 ¥12.9K

158.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,101 ¥7,360

102.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.46

-5.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Jieyang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Jieyang

$185 27.1% 85.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Jieyang

$201 29.5% 38.1% $124

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Jieyang

$68 10% 74.7% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Jieyang

$64 9.4% 72% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Jieyang

$89 13.1% 43% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Jieyang

$54 7.9% 30.1% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Jieyang

$21 3.1% 55.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $301 in Jieyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 102% 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 $13.00 in Jieyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $201 per month, with Jieyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Jieyang

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

08:39 8:39 AM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

5,877,025

💱 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 Jieyang 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Jieyang

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 Jieyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Jieyang differ by about 249% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $683 including rent). Jieyang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 102% 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 $301 in Jieyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $490 in Jieyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $683 in Jieyang versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jieyang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Jieyang 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 Jieyang 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 Jieyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 249% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.