Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Liaocheng

For one person, living is cheaper in Liaocheng: $647 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Liaocheng
Learn more

Liaocheng Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Liaocheng

🇨🇳 China

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Liaocheng

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $647 in Liaocheng.

Barcelona $2,399
Liaocheng $647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,026 in Liaocheng.

Barcelona $3,410
Liaocheng $1,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,405 in Liaocheng.

Barcelona $4,421
Liaocheng $1,405

Living in Barcelona is roughly 271% more expensive than in Liaocheng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Liaocheng is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$2.55 ¥17.07

603.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$13.54 ¥90.5

402.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$4.80 ¥32.08

176.67%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$1.88 ¥12.58

72.87%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.39 ¥2.63

671.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.21 ¥1.40

790.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$0.84 ¥5.63

358.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$1.96 ¥13.12

128.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.50 ¥10.00

-14.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.41 ¥9.41

44.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.87 ¥5.80

97.70%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.06 ¥7.08

350.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$11.70 ¥78.2

43.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$2.93 ¥19.56

204.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$11.02 ¥73.7

80.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.45 ¥9.72

105.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.00 ¥6.71

103.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.37 ¥9.17

99.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.13 ¥7.56

137.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.59 ¥3.93

255.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.69 ¥4.59

201.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.57 ¥3.81

154.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.59 ¥3.93

50.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$2.25 ¥15.06

208.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$10.16 ¥67.9

-23.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.72 ¥4.80

101.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.32 ¥8.83

94.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.31 ¥2.08

864.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$16.46 ¥110

53.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.21 ¥8.09

157.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.27 ¥1.81

433.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$4.39 ¥29.35

663.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.09 ¥7.30

64.22%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

79.44%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$14.8K ¥99.0K

103.07%

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

$178 €158

$45.46 ¥304

291.22%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$6.08 ¥40.64

119.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$5.02 ¥33.59

594.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$41.58 ¥278

28.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$14.82 ¥99.1

8.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$4.49 ¥30.05

146.33%

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

$957 €851

$213 ¥1,427

348.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$20.1K ¥134.3K

-17.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$33.89 ¥227

160.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$29.46 ¥197

34.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$71.9 ¥481

43.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$59.6 ¥399

103.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$281 ¥1,876

489.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$181 ¥1,209

620.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$546 ¥3,647

368.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$369 ¥2,470

418.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,489 ¥23.3K

108.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,314 ¥8,788

286.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$572 ¥3,826

298.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.13

4.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Liaocheng: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Liaocheng

$181 28% 86.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Liaocheng

$183 28.3% 42.8% $137

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Liaocheng

$68 10.5% 74.8% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Liaocheng

$57 8.8% 75% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Liaocheng

$88 13.6% 44.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Liaocheng

$51 7.8% 32.9% $25

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Liaocheng

$20 3.1% 57.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $281 in Liaocheng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 299% 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 $14.00 in Liaocheng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $183 per month, with Liaocheng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Liaocheng

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,230,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Liaocheng 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Liaocheng

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 Liaocheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Liaocheng differ by about 271% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $647 including rent). Liaocheng is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 299% 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 $281 in Liaocheng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $213 in Liaocheng. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $647 in Liaocheng versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Liaocheng but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Liaocheng 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 Liaocheng 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 Liaocheng gentler on the wallet – expenses run 271% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.