Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lanzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanzhou: $719 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
Learn more

Lanzhou Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Lanzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $719 in Lanzhou.

Barcelona $2,399
Lanzhou $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,143 in Lanzhou.

Barcelona $3,410
Lanzhou $1,143

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,567 in Lanzhou.

Barcelona $4,421
Lanzhou $1,567

Living in Barcelona is roughly 234% more expensive than in Lanzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Lanzhou is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$2.06 ¥13.80

770.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$28.34 ¥189

140.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$5.86 ¥39.15

126.62%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$3.12 ¥20.89

4.17%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.48 ¥3.19

527.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.29 ¥1.93

544.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$1.10 ¥7.35

250.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.02 ¥13.54

121.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.77 ¥11.81

-27.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.61 ¥10.75

26.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.96 ¥6.40

79.17%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.60 ¥10.72

198.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$13.22 ¥88.4

26.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$3.43 ¥22.92

160.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$12.11 ¥81.0

64.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.81 ¥12.09

64.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.28 ¥8.56

58.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.49 ¥9.97

83.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.24 ¥8.32

116.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.70 ¥4.70

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.93 ¥6.21

123.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.60 ¥3.99

141.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.55 ¥3.70

61.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$3.77 ¥25.19

84.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$11.52 ¥77.0

-32.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.83 ¥5.52

74.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.53 ¥10.25

67.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.29 ¥1.92

931.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$18.07 ¥121

39.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.48 ¥9.91

110.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.32 ¥2.17

350.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$7.12 ¥47.58

370.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.46 ¥9.73

22.60%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$17.5K ¥117.2K

97.54%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$15.0K ¥100.4K

100.33%

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

$178 €158

$58.0 ¥388

206.59%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$8.79 ¥58.8

51.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$11.18 ¥74.8

211.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$42.33 ¥283

25.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$14.69 ¥98.2

8.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$6.29 ¥42.06

75.83%

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

$957 €851

$412 ¥2,756

132.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$17.6K ¥117.6K

-5.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$42.85 ¥287

105.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$33.44 ¥224

18.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$75.6 ¥505

35.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$74.1 ¥495

63.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$295 ¥1,971

460.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$168 ¥1,126

672.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$626 ¥4,186

308.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$297 ¥1,986

544.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$2,671 ¥17.9K

172.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,611 ¥10.8K

215.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$953 ¥6,375

139.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

9.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Lanzhou

$168 23.4% 87.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Lanzhou

$209 29.1% 34.6% $111

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Lanzhou

$84 11.7% 68.8% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Lanzhou

$78 10.9% 65.5% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Lanzhou

$102 14.2% 35.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Lanzhou

$55 7.6% 27.1% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Lanzhou

$22 3.1% 53% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $295 in Lanzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 139% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $28.00 in Lanzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $209 per month, with Lanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

15:39 3:39 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

3,688,400

💱 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 Lanzhou 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Lanzhou

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 Lanzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Lanzhou differ by about 234% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $719 including rent). Lanzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 139% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $295 in Lanzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $412 in Lanzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $719 in Lanzhou versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lanzhou but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Lanzhou 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 Lanzhou 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 Lanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 234% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.