Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Pingtung city

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $890 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
Learn more

Pingtung city Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Pingtung 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 Pingtung city actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $890 in Pingtung city.

Barcelona $2,453
Pingtung city $890

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,441 in Pingtung city.

Barcelona $3,509
Pingtung city $1,441

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,993 in Pingtung city.

Barcelona $4,564
Pingtung city $1,993

Living in Barcelona is roughly 176% more expensive than in Pingtung city, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Pingtung city is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$4.51 NT$147

290.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$30.78 NT$1,003

119.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$4.74 NT$154

185.44%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.95 NT$96.3

8.14%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.02 NT$33.23

185.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.64 NT$20.76

195.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.46 NT$47.49

174.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.43 NT$79.3

86.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$3.22 NT$105

-59.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.87 NT$60.8

8.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.54 NT$82.9

-27.17%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.55 NT$83.3

89.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$15.44 NT$504

8.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$7.67 NT$250

18.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$14.97 NT$488

31.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.32 NT$141

-31.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.92 NT$62.7

5.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.53 NT$82.5

6.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.02 NT$98.6

-7.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.22 NT$39.81

71.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.86 NT$60.8

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.26 NT$73.8

-35.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.84 NT$27.39

11.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$3.72 NT$121

84.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$15.66 NT$511

-49.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.54 NT$50.2

-8.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.16 NT$70.6

17.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.48 NT$15.66

554.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.63 NT$85.7

13.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.80 NT$26.00

86.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$6.25 NT$204

433.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.99 NT$32.36

81.82%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.7K NT$1.1M

-4.46%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$22.2K NT$722.4K

43.08%

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

$180 €162

$108 NT$3,527

66.80%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$14.35 NT$468

-3.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$25.28 NT$824

33.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.96 NT$325

10.34%

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

$917 €821

$328 NT$10.7K

179.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$13.6K NT$443.2K

21.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$69.5 NT$2,267

25.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$30.29 NT$988

27.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$80.8 NT$2,635

30.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$100 NT$3,268

19.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$243 NT$7,923

599.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$153 NT$5,000

783.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$713 NT$23.2K

265.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$372 NT$12.1K

453.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,946 NT$63.4K

13.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.27

44.49%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pingtung city: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Pingtung city

$153 17.2% 88.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Pingtung city

$329 37% 2.2% $7.2

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Pingtung city

$105 11.8% 61% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Pingtung city

$148 16.6% 35.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Pingtung city

$126 14.2% 20% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Pingtung city

$20 * 2.2% 72.9% $54

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Pingtung city

$8.5 * 1% 82.4% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $243 in Pingtung city. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 14% 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 Pingtung city. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $329, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

18:08 6:08 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

201,644

💱 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 Pingtung city 10,480 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Pingtung 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 Pingtung city: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $890 in Pingtung city, so Pingtung city is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% 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 $243 in Pingtung city. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $328 in Pingtung city. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $890 in Pingtung city – Pingtung city is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $890 in Pingtung city versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Pingtung city but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Pingtung 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 Pingtung city are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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