Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Maoming

For one person, living is cheaper in Maoming: $709 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 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 Maoming
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Maoming Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Maoming

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Maoming

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $709 in Maoming.

Barcelona $2,399
Maoming $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,137 in Maoming.

Barcelona $3,410
Maoming $1,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,566 in Maoming.

Barcelona $4,421
Maoming $1,566

Living in Barcelona is roughly 238% more expensive than in Maoming, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$2.62 ¥17.53

584.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$23.74 ¥159

186.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$4.01 ¥26.83

231.17%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.75 ¥18.36

18.18%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.50 ¥3.35

502.00%

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

$0.95 ¥6.35

305.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.29 ¥15.32

95.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.74 ¥11.65

-25.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.77 ¥11.81

15.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.00 ¥6.67

72.00%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.66 ¥11.09

187.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$13.96 ¥93.4

20.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$3.47 ¥23.17

157.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$11.04 ¥73.9

80.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.93 ¥12.90

54.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.34 ¥8.99

51.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.55 ¥10.36

76.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.25 ¥8.34

114.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.69 ¥4.64

204.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.95 ¥6.33

118.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.66 ¥4.43

119.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.55 ¥3.66

61.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$3.37 ¥22.55

105.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$11.67 ¥78.0

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.84 ¥5.59

72.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.54 ¥10.26

66.88%

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

$17.23 ¥115

46.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.51 ¥10.09

106.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.36 ¥2.39

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$7.12 ¥47.62

370.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.29 ¥8.64

38.76%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$19.4K ¥129.5K

78.77%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$17.5K ¥117.2K

71.52%

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

$178 €158

$57.6 ¥385

208.77%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$8.78 ¥58.7

51.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$11.99 ¥80.2

190.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$33.74 ¥226

57.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$15.10 ¥101

6.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$6.18 ¥41.32

78.96%

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

$957 €851

$463 ¥3,098

106.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$17.2K ¥115.0K

-3.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$44.17 ¥295

99.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$33.79 ¥226

16.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$80.7 ¥540

27.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$67.8 ¥453

79.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$257 ¥1,715

544.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$171 ¥1,140

663.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$601 ¥4,017

325.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$339 ¥2,267

464.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,926 ¥26.2K

85.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,723 ¥11.5K

194.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,026 ¥6,857

122.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.36

-2.38%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Maoming: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Maoming

$171 24.1% 86.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Maoming

$212 29.9% 33.8% $108

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Maoming

$78 11.1% 70.9% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Maoming

$78 11.1% 65.3% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Maoming

$102 14.4% 35.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Maoming

$46 6.5% 38.8% $29

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Maoming

$22 3.1% 54.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $257 in Maoming. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 122% 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 $24.00 in Maoming for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $212 per month, with Maoming cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Maoming

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

16:41 4:41 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,217,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Maoming 9,880 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barcelona vs Maoming: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Maoming differ by about 238% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $709 including rent). Maoming is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 122% 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 $257 in Maoming. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $463 in Maoming. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Maoming versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maoming but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Maoming 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 Maoming 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 Maoming gentler on the wallet – expenses run 238% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.