Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Miaoli Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Miaoli

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $899 in Miaoli.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,651 in Miaoli.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $2,404 in Miaoli.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 163% more expensive than Miaoli, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Miaoli is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.12

$3.49 NT$110

403.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$25.88 NT$815

164.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.09

$5.03 NT$158

179.52%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$2.84 NT$89.3

-2.11%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$1.11 NT$34.88

152.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$0.69 NT$21.86

198.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$1.71 NT$53.7

160.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.96

$2.59 NT$81.4

77.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$3.10 NT$97.5

-60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.74

$1.45 NT$45.58

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$2.52 NT$79.4

-23.81%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$2.29 NT$71.9

44.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.85

$9.25 NT$291

99.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.16

$8.14 NT$256

16.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.48

$20.58 NT$648

-6.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$3.33 NT$105

-20.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$1.04 NT$32.67

135.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.82

$2.71 NT$85.2

-21.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$3.05 NT$95.9

-6.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$2.39 NT$75.4

-14.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.90 NT$59.7

-2.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.26

$2.87 NT$90.4

-48.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.93 NT$29.16

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.14

$6.46 NT$203

10.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.78

$11.19 NT$352

-29.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.85 NT$58.3

-25.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.37 NT$74.5

-2.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.56

$0.87 NT$27.54

242.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.17

$39.63 NT$1,247

-26.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.95

$3.00 NT$94.3

53.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$0.73 NT$22.84

183.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.10

$8.25 NT$260

253.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.07 NT$33.64

71.96%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$36.6K NT$1.2M

6.60%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$26.2K NT$823.6K

24.97%

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

$188 €162

$64.4 NT$2,027

191.65%

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

$22.93 €19.73

$28.45 NT$895

-19.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.58

$18.94 NT$596

93.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.35

$36.89 NT$1,161

55.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.80

$15.01 NT$473

37.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.63

$10.21 NT$321

9.60%

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

$721 €620

$566 NT$17.8K

27.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €12.9K

$30.4K NT$958.1K

-50.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$31.72 NT$999

171.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.89

$23.77 NT$748

55.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$68.8 NT$2,166

48.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.7

$103 NT$3,233

12.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,319

$345 NT$10.9K

344.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,050

$168 NT$5,279

627.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,319

$1,039 NT$32.7K

159.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,732

$730 NT$23.0K

175.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,463

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,029

$2,471 NT$77.8K

-4.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

69.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Miaoli: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $345 in Miaoli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miaoli pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $26.00 in Miaoli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $314 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

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 Miaoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Miaoli differ by about 163% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $899 including rent). Miaoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Miaoli earns 5% 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $345 in Miaoli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $566 in Miaoli. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $899 in Miaoli versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miaoli but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Miaoli 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 Miaoli 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 Miaoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 163% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.