Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Qinhuangdao

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
Learn more

Qinhuangdao Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Qinhuangdao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $714 in Qinhuangdao.

Barcelona $2,381
Qinhuangdao $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,135 in Qinhuangdao.

Barcelona $3,406
Qinhuangdao $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,556 in Qinhuangdao.

Barcelona $4,431
Qinhuangdao $1,556

Living in Barcelona is roughly 233% more expensive than in Qinhuangdao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Qinhuangdao is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.98

$2.76 ¥18.36

548.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$21.79 ¥145

203.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.23

$4.88 ¥32.50

180.53%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.73

$3.04 ¥20.24

0.66%

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

$3.07 €2.74

$0.47 ¥3.12

553.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.27 ¥1.78

618.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.45

$0.92 ¥6.15

320.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.12

$2.13 ¥14.18

116.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.85 ¥12.31

-29.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.55 ¥10.33

35.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$0.89 ¥5.92

105.62%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.13

$1.53 ¥10.20

201.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.50

$13.05 ¥86.9

33.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.29

$3.11 ¥20.71

198.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.71

$10.33 ¥68.8

91.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.69

$1.87 ¥12.46

60.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.25 ¥8.32

62.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.47 ¥9.77

80.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$1.15 ¥7.63

149.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$0.73 ¥4.87

195.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$0.95 ¥6.33

126.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.60 ¥3.99

145.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.51 ¥3.41

72.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.19

$3.05 ¥20.32

127.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.99

$10.69 ¥71.2

-26.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.79 ¥5.25

75.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.64 ¥10.89

60.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.60

$0.27 ¥1.78

977.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.74

$16.97 ¥113

50.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.68

$1.42 ¥9.48

111.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.33 ¥2.18

336.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.65

$6.62 ¥44.04

401.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.14 ¥7.58

63.16%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

68.41%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$17.1K ¥113.8K

85.41%

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

$183 €163

$44.64 ¥297

309.41%

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

$13.61 €12.16

$9.87 ¥65.7

37.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.41

$11.90 ¥79.2

176.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.85

$42.14 ¥281

29.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.76

$14.09 ¥93.8

17.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €10.03

$5.79 ¥38.55

93.96%

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

$954 €852

$337 ¥2,244

182.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$17.2K ¥114.2K

-3.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.8

$44.18 ¥294

94.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.93

$30.35 ¥202

28.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$71.8 ¥478

44.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$70.6 ¥470

67.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,514

$276 ¥1,835

515.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,140

$191 ¥1,272

567.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,300

$601 ¥3,998

328.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,717

$362 ¥2,413

430.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,503

$3,063 ¥20.4K

137.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,474

$2,068 ¥13.8K

142.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,989

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.89

-15.68%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8% 85% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9% 38.8% $126

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9% 68.5% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3% 71% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7% 37.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5% 30.4% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Qinhuangdao

$21 3% 55.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $276 in Qinhuangdao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Barcelona vs $22 in Qinhuangdao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $199 per month, with Qinhuangdao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

05:37 5:37 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,987,605

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Qinhuangdao 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Qinhuangdao

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 Qinhuangdao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Qinhuangdao differ by about 233% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $714 including rent). Qinhuangdao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $1,071 in Qinhuangdao to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $276 in Qinhuangdao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $337 in Qinhuangdao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Qinhuangdao but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Qinhuangdao 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.

Expats usually find Qinhuangdao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.