Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and New Taipei City

For one person, living is cheaper in New Taipei City: $1,185 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in New Taipei City
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New Taipei City Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

New Taipei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,185 in New Taipei City.

Barcelona $2,453
New Taipei City $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,998 in New Taipei City.

Barcelona $3,509
New Taipei City $1,998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,810 in New Taipei City.

Barcelona $4,564
New Taipei City $2,810

Living in Barcelona is roughly 107% more expensive than in New Taipei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, New Taipei City is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$4.67 NT$152

276.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$30.83 NT$1,005

118.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$5.18 NT$169

161.20%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.31 NT$75.4

38.10%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.82 NT$26.80

254.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.53 NT$17.19

256.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.58 NT$51.7

153.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.43 NT$79.3

86.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$3.13 NT$102

-58.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.85 NT$60.4

9.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.13 NT$69.6

-13.15%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.15 NT$70.1

124.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$24.36 NT$794

-31.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.65 NT$347

-14.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$18.90 NT$616

3.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.01 NT$131

-25.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.49 NT$81.2

-18.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.76 NT$89.9

-2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.01 NT$131

-30.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.96 NT$129

-47.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.08 NT$67.8

-0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.59 NT$51.9

-8.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.01 NT$32.93

-6.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$4.30 NT$140

59.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$9.16 NT$299

-13.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.36 NT$44.40

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.28 NT$74.3

11.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.63 NT$20.66

398.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$37.16 NT$1,212

-31.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.66 NT$86.7

12.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.94 NT$30.71

58.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$9.35 NT$305

256.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.99 NT$32.28

81.82%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.2K NT$1.1M

0.09%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$23.6K NT$768.0K

34.58%

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

$180 €162

$112 NT$3,650

61.17%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$16.63 NT$542

-16.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$23.01 NT$750

46.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$37.65 NT$1,227

36.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$7.72 NT$252

106.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.65 NT$347

3.19%

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

$917 €821

$634 NT$20.7K

44.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$21.0K NT$683.8K

-21.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$35.02 NT$1,142

148.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$31.03 NT$1,012

24.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$89.3 NT$2,910

18.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$98.2 NT$3,202

21.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$613 NT$20.0K

177.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$335 NT$10.9K

305.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,377 NT$44.9K

89.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$920 NT$30.0K

124.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$10.2K NT$331.8K

-32.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$5,980 NT$195.0K

-14.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,359 NT$44.3K

62.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.81

16.73%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for New Taipei City: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

New Taipei City

$335 28.2% 75.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

New Taipei City

$380 32.1% 18.1% $58

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

New Taipei City

$99 8.3% 63.1% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

New Taipei City

$152 12.8% 33.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

New Taipei City

$114 9.6% 27.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

New Taipei City

$59 5% 19.8% $15

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

New Taipei City

$47 4% 2.9% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $613 in New Taipei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 63% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $31 in New Taipei City. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $380, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇹🇼 New Taipei City

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

19:04 7:04 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

4,004,367

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.39 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona New Taipei City 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,185 in New Taipei City, so New Taipei City is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $613 in New Taipei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $634 in New Taipei City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,185 in New Taipei City versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in New Taipei City but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes New Taipei City 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 New Taipei City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – New Taipei City wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.