Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Keelung

For one person, living is cheaper in Keelung: $932 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Keelung, Taiwan
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Keelung
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$932
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Keelung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $932 in Keelung.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Keelung $932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,652 in Keelung.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Keelung $1,652

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,372 in Keelung.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Keelung $2,372

Living in Barcelona is roughly 163% more expensive than in Keelung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Keelung is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Keelung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.75
$4.54 NT$148
287.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.5
$31.22 NT$1,018
116.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.12
$4.90 NT$160
176.12%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.86
$2.81 NT$91.5
13.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.61
$0.99 NT$32.15
193.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$0.70 NT$22.95
170.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.59
$1.52 NT$49.44
163.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.06
$2.66 NT$86.6
70.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Keelung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$3.05 NT$99.4
-57.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.42 NT$46.36
42.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$1.17 NT$38.08
58.12%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.33
$2.26 NT$73.7
113.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €14.99
$28.14 NT$918
-40.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.17
$5.52 NT$180
65.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.59
$16.09 NT$525
22.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.67
$4.29 NT$140
-30.54%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.87 NT$61.1
8.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.42
$3.06 NT$99.7
-11.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.51
$2.10 NT$68.3
33.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$1.21 NT$39.50
72.73%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$1.93 NT$63.1
7.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$2.35 NT$76.6
-37.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.84 NT$27.50
11.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.15
$3.70 NT$121
85.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.06
$9.37 NT$305
-15.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.07 NT$34.78
31.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.27
$2.44 NT$79.4
4.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Keelung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$0.60 NT$19.44
423.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.79
$34.32 NT$1,119
-25.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.68
$2.55 NT$83.2
17.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$0.90 NT$29.44
65.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.89
$9.37 NT$305
256.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.03 NT$33.67
74.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.7K
$35.3K NT$1.1M
-5.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.4K
$23.1K NT$752.3K
37.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Keelung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$40.48 NT$1,320
345.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.39
$14.89 NT$485
-7.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.18
$10.96 NT$358
207.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Keelung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.13
$34.53 NT$1,126
49.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.29
$30.95 NT$1,009
-48.43%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.85
$7.84 NT$256
40.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Keelung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €821
$339 NT$11.0K
170.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$16.6K NT$542.2K
-0.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Keelung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €77.9
$71.5 NT$2,331
21.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.49
$34.89 NT$1,137
10.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.8
$45.95 NT$1,498
130.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$31.00 NT$1,011
286.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Keelung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,522
$403 NT$13.2K
321.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,214
$254 NT$8,292
432.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,331
$1,022 NT$33.3K
154.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,847
$747 NT$24.3K
176.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,193
$3,319 NT$108.2K
108.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,592
$2,300 NT$75.0K
122.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Keelung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,980
$2,427 NT$79.1K
-8.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
2.27
44.49%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Keelung: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Keelung
$254 81.2% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Keelung
$330 2.6% $8.2
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Keelung
$104 61% $164
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Keelung
$66 70.9% $162
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Keelung
$82 47.8% $75
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Keelung
$50 31.7% $23
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Keelung
$44 9.7% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $403 in Keelung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $31 in Keelung. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $330, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇹🇼 Keelung
🕒 Local time
04:24 4:24 AM
11:24 11:24 AM
7 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
372,100
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Keelung 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Keelung

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 Keelung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Keelung?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $932 in Keelung, so Keelung is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Keelung?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $403 in Keelung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Keelung?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $339 in Keelung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Keelung – a meal for two runs $31 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $932 in Keelung versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 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.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Keelung?
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.
Is Barcelona or Keelung safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Keelung are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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