Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Putian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $518 in Putian.

Barcelona $2,381
Putian $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $854 in Putian.

Barcelona $3,406
Putian $854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,190 in Putian.

Barcelona $4,431
Putian $1,190

Living in Barcelona is roughly 360% more expensive than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Putian is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.21 ¥14.79

709.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$23.26 ¥156

184.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$5.17 ¥34.57

164.80%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.44 ¥16.32

25.41%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.43 ¥2.88

613.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.29 ¥1.92

568.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.77 ¥5.16

402.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.93 ¥19.58

57.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.47 ¥9.82

-11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.25 ¥15.07

-6.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.93 ¥6.19

96.77%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.58 ¥10.58

192.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$11.73 ¥78.4

48.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$2.43 ¥16.22

281.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$12.18 ¥81.4

62.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.55 ¥17.03

18.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.42 ¥9.49

42.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.70 ¥11.34

55.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.98 ¥13.25

44.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.02 ¥6.79

111.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.77 ¥11.86

21.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.93 ¥6.19

58.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.50 ¥3.36

76.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.04 ¥20.31

127.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$11.18 ¥74.8

-29.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.83 ¥5.58

67.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.71 ¥11.44

53.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.74 ¥4.92

293.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$22.38 ¥150

13.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.52 ¥10.16

97.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.29 ¥1.94

396.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$7.02 ¥46.94

372.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.31 ¥8.76

41.98%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

66.59%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

78.42%

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

$183 €163

$44.03 ¥294

315.08%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$8.87 ¥59.3

53.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$10.55 ¥70.6

212.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$10.08 ¥67.4

11.41%

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

$954 €849

$492 ¥3,286

94.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-32.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$39.10 ¥261

120.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$29.11 ¥195

34.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$103 ¥691

0.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$85.7 ¥573

38.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,637 ¥17.6K

176.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,115 ¥7,452

349.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$480 ¥3,211

363.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.46

-5.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Putian

$215 41.6% 33.8% $110

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Putian

$75 14.5% 72.1% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Putian

$63 12.3% 72.3% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Putian

$116 22.4% 25.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 73.9% $57

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Putian

$28 5.5% 40.2% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

Barcelona pays 364% 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 $23.00 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $215 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

11:09 11:09 AM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,954,000

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Putian 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Putian

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 Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Putian differ by about 360% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $518 including rent). Putian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 364% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $492 in Putian. 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 $518 in Putian versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Putian 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 Putian 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 Putian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 360% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.