Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ningbo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ningbo: $691 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Ningbo
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Ningbo Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Ningbo

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ningbo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $691 in Ningbo.

Barcelona $2,381
Ningbo $691

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,179 in Ningbo.

Barcelona $3,406
Ningbo $1,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,668 in Ningbo.

Barcelona $4,431
Ningbo $1,668

Living in Barcelona is roughly 245% more expensive than in Ningbo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Ningbo is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.89 ¥19.32

519.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$30.12 ¥201

119.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.46 ¥29.83

206.95%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.52 ¥23.55

-13.07%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.44 ¥2.93

597.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.31 ¥2.08

525.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.04 ¥6.95

272.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.44 ¥23.00

34.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.74 ¥11.65

-25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.16 ¥7.79

81.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.70 ¥4.66

161.43%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.56 ¥10.46

196.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$15.18 ¥101

14.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$3.67 ¥24.53

152.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$8.78 ¥58.7

125.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.07 ¥7.13

181.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.56 ¥10.42

30.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.57 ¥10.52

68.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.22 ¥8.13

135.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.62 ¥4.12

248.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.70 ¥4.69

207.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.65 ¥4.32

126.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.57 ¥3.83

54.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$4.61 ¥30.79

50.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.03 ¥53.7

-2.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.81 ¥5.43

71.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.50 ¥10.04

75.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.31 ¥2.08

838.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$16.67 ¥111

52.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.68 ¥11.21

78.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.35 ¥2.31

311.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$7.16 ¥47.90

363.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.33 ¥8.88

39.85%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.6K ¥131.1K

64.88%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$18.1K ¥121.3K

74.82%

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

$183 €163

$51.9 ¥347

252.07%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$6.67 ¥44.63

104.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$7.80 ¥52.1

322.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$25.44 ¥170

114.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$14.16 ¥94.7

16.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$8.05 ¥53.8

39.50%

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

$954 €849

$932 ¥6,234

2.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$15.9K ¥106.6K

4.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$63.8 ¥427

34.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$26.75 ¥179

46.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$62.2 ¥416

66.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$52.6 ¥351

125.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$358 ¥2,394

373.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$184 ¥1,230

593.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$766 ¥5,121

236.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$469 ¥3,136

309.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,784 ¥25.3K

92.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,053 ¥13.7K

144.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,193 ¥7,977

86.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.18

3.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ningbo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Ningbo

$184 26.6% 85.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Ningbo

$191 27.7% 41.2% $134

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Ningbo

$94 13.6% 65.2% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Ningbo

$66 9.6% 71.1% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Ningbo

$92 13.4% 40.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Ningbo

$42 6% 46.2% $36

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Ningbo

$21 3.1% 54.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $358 in Ningbo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 87% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $30.00 in Ningbo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $191 per month, with Ningbo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Ningbo

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

08:52 8:52 AM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

7,605,689

💱 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 Ningbo 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ningbo

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 Ningbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Ningbo differ by about 245% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $691 including rent). Ningbo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 87% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $358 in Ningbo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $932 in Ningbo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $691 in Ningbo versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ningbo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ningbo 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 Ningbo 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 Ningbo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 245% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.