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: $2,337 in Barcelona versus $1,273 in Keelung.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,468 in Barcelona versus $2,040 in Keelung.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,599 in Barcelona versus $2,808 in Keelung.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 84% more expensive than Keelung, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 74% above, Keelung is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.08 €14.72

$5.17 NT$163

230.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 €59.7

$30.43 NT$962

127.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.78 €11.87

$5.40 NT$171

155.19%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.37

$2.94 NT$92.9

-6.12%

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

$2.79 €2.40

$1.10 NT$34.73

153.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.72

$0.81 NT$25.46

145.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.36 €3.76

$2.10 NT$66.3

107.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 €4.09

$2.95 NT$93.3

60.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.11

$3.40 NT$108

-62.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.77

$1.49 NT$47.15

37.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 €1.71

$1.14 NT$35.97

74.56%

Eggs

$3.39 €2.92

$2.48 NT$78.5

36.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.81 €16.21

$31.37 NT$992

-40.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.07

$6.19 NT$196

51.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.12 €16.48

$15.93 NT$503

20.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 €2.32

$4.52 NT$143

-40.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 €2.02

$1.76 NT$55.6

32.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$2.25 NT$71.3

-5.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.46

$3.09 NT$97.7

-7.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.70

$1.35 NT$42.58

45.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.55

$1.94 NT$61.4

-7.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.25

$2.29 NT$72.3

-36.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.74

$1.26 NT$39.80

-31.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 €5.84

$3.97 NT$126

70.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 €6.81

$9.70 NT$307

-18.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.20

$1.22 NT$38.72

13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.04

$2.65 NT$83.7

-10.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 €2.52

$0.49 NT$15.48

495.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.69 €24.72

$68.0 NT$2,151

-57.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 €3.84

$2.81 NT$88.9

58.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 €1.77

$1.20 NT$37.89

70.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.55 €25.46

$10.10 NT$319

192.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.56

$1.01 NT$32.04

80.20%

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

$38.8K €33.5K

$33.4K NT$1.1M

16.12%

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

$33.1K €28.5K

$26.1K NT$823.7K

27.03%

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

$189 €163

$44.01 NT$1,391

329.97%

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

$22.80 €19.65

$24.37 NT$771

-6.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.59 €32.39

$11.78 NT$372

219.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 €49.75

$37.04 NT$1,171

55.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 €17.87

$33.67 NT$1,064

-38.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 €9.33

$8.69 NT$275

24.51%

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

$728 €628

$364 NT$11.5K

100.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K €12.7K

$20.5K NT$649.6K

-28.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 €76.4

$83.6 NT$2,643

6.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.85 €31.75

$34.44 NT$1,089

7.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$50.2 NT$1,586

103.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €100

$33.81 NT$1,069

243.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 €1,352

$610 NT$19.3K

157.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 €1,050

$516 NT$16.3K

135.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,795 €2,409

$1,124 NT$35.5K

148.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,702

$1,020 NT$32.2K

93.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,754 €6,680

$3,392 NT$107.2K

128.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,176 €4,460

$2,361 NT$74.6K

119.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,343 €2,019

$2,435 NT$77.0K

-3.76%

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: June 7, 2026

Last update for Keelung: June 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,569 in Barcelona and $610 in Keelung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Barcelona vs $30.00 in Keelung. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $357, 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 84% in total monthly costs ($2,337 vs $1,273 including rent). Keelung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Keelung earns 4% less. 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: $1,569 in Barcelona versus $610 in Keelung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $728 in Barcelona versus $364 in Keelung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,273 in Keelung versus $2,337 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 84% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.