Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,105 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kaohsiung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,105 in Kaohsiung.

Barcelona $2,453
Kaohsiung $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,796 in Kaohsiung.

Barcelona $3,509
Kaohsiung $1,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,487 in Kaohsiung.

Barcelona $4,564
Kaohsiung $2,487

Living in Barcelona is roughly 122% more expensive than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Kaohsiung is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$4.74 NT$155

271.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$30.77 NT$1,003

119.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$4.60 NT$150

194.13%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.93 NT$95.4

8.87%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.05 NT$34.21

177.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.69 NT$22.61

173.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.51 NT$49.24

165.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.39 NT$78.1

89.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$3.16 NT$103

-58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.18 NT$71.1

-7.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.87 NT$93.5

-35.54%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.54 NT$82.9

90.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$15.21 NT$496

10.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.03 NT$262

13.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.77 NT$481

32.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$6.40 NT$209

-53.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.79 NT$90.9

-27.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.42 NT$78.8

11.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.02 NT$98.6

-7.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.68 NT$87.4

-22.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.97 NT$64.4

5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.30 NT$74.9

-36.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.02 NT$33.12

-7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$4.24 NT$138

62.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$15.44 NT$503

-48.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.61 NT$52.5

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.09 NT$68.0

21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.62 NT$20.35

406.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$12.04 NT$393

111.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.64 NT$86.0

13.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.78 NT$25.48

91.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$5.68 NT$185

487.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.97 NT$31.78

85.57%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$37.1K NT$1.2M

-10.64%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$22.7K NT$739.4K

39.78%

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

$180 €162

$82.1 NT$2,676

119.82%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$16.89 NT$551

-18.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$25.27 NT$824

33.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$39.20 NT$1,278

31.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$10.12 NT$330

57.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.11 NT$330

8.70%

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

$917 €821

$448 NT$14.6K

104.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$13.7K NT$445.8K

20.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$90.0 NT$2,935

-3.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$31.24 NT$1,019

23.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$86.0 NT$2,805

23.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$99.3 NT$3,239

20.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$430 NT$14.0K

294.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$301 NT$9,806

350.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$985 NT$32.1K

164.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$681 NT$22.2K

203.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$4,146 NT$135.2K

66.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,875 NT$93.7K

78.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,401 NT$45.7K

57.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.56

28.12%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2% 77.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1% 10.3% $33

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6% 60.4% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3% 45.5% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5% 12.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4% 19.1% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9% 56.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $430 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 58% 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 $31 in Kaohsiung. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $355, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

11:23 11:23 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,777,873

💱 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 Kaohsiung 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Kaohsiung

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 Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,105 in Kaohsiung, so Kaohsiung is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $430 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $448 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,105 in Kaohsiung versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kaohsiung 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 Kaohsiung are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Kaohsiung wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.