Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Keelung Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Keelung

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,359 in Barcelona versus $1,269 in Keelung.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,498 in Barcelona versus $2,047 in Keelung.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,638 in Barcelona versus $2,824 in Keelung.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 86% more expensive than in Keelung, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Keelung is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.15 €14.86

$5.18 NT$167

231.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €58.9

$30.17 NT$974

125.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €11.82

$5.33 NT$172

155.91%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.41

$2.97 NT$95.8

-6.40%

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

$2.82 €2.44

$1.11 NT$35.98

154.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.70

$0.79 NT$25.64

148.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.84

$2.18 NT$70.4

103.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.99

$2.94 NT$95.0

56.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.10

$3.45 NT$111

-63.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.85

$1.56 NT$50.4

36.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 €1.72

$1.19 NT$38.56

67.23%

Eggs

$3.37 €2.92

$2.38 NT$77.0

41.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.96 €16.42

$31.14 NT$1,006

-39.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 €8.26

$5.93 NT$191

60.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 €16.22

$15.58 NT$503

20.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.29

$4.59 NT$148

-42.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.04

$1.81 NT$58.4

29.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.81

$2.22 NT$71.6

-5.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 €2.37

$3.07 NT$99.1

-11.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.70

$1.33 NT$43.10

47.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.56

$1.91 NT$61.5

-5.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.31

$2.28 NT$73.5

-33.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.77

$1.28 NT$41.42

-30.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 €5.87

$3.95 NT$128

71.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €6.86

$9.05 NT$292

-12.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.19

$1.21 NT$39.13

13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.08

$2.66 NT$86.0

-9.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.52

$0.53 NT$17.06

449.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.66 €24.82

$66.6 NT$2,150

-56.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €3.96

$2.81 NT$90.9

62.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 €1.77

$1.19 NT$38.39

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.72 €24.87

$10.30 NT$333

178.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.58

$1.00 NT$32.37

82.00%

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

$39.3K €34.0K

$33.6K NT$1.1M

16.98%

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

$32.5K €28.1K

$25.4K NT$820.5K

27.82%

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

$187 €162

$43.58 NT$1,407

328.25%

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

$22.29 €19.30

$24.59 NT$794

-9.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.37 €31.50

$11.73 NT$379

210.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €49.82

$37.84 NT$1,222

52.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 €17.96

$34.48 NT$1,113

-39.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 €9.33

$8.33 NT$269

29.29%

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

$725 €628

$354 NT$11.4K

104.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.1K

$20.4K NT$658.5K

-25.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 €76.1

$85.8 NT$2,770

2.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.81 €31.88

$34.98 NT$1,130

5.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €89.6

$51.4 NT$1,661

101.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €103

$33.24 NT$1,073

256.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 €1,319

$607 NT$19.6K

151.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 €1,062

$504 NT$16.3K

143.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 €2,362

$1,120 NT$36.2K

143.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 €1,718

$1,032 NT$33.3K

92.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,469 €6,468

$3,290 NT$106.2K

127.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,243 €4,541

$2,312 NT$74.7K

126.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,393 €2,072

$2,450 NT$79.1K

-2.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

2.18

55.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: July 27, 2026

Last update for Keelung: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,524 in Barcelona and $607 in Keelung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $30.00 in Keelung. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $354, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

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 Keelung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Keelung differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($2,359 vs $1,269 including rent). Keelung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Keelung. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,524 in Barcelona versus $607 in Keelung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $725 in Barcelona versus $354 in Keelung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,269 in Keelung versus $2,359 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Keelung but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Keelung 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 Keelung 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 Keelung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.