Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rui'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Rui'an: $715 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Rui'an
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Rui'an Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Rui'an

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rui'an

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $715 in Rui'an.

Barcelona $2,405
Rui'an $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $1,141 in Rui'an.

Barcelona $3,477
Rui'an $1,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $1,566 in Rui'an.

Barcelona $4,550
Rui'an $1,566

Living in Barcelona is roughly 236% more expensive than in Rui'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 79% above, Rui'an is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.11

$2.86 ¥19.11

528.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.4

$21.28 ¥142

216.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.98

$4.79 ¥32.00

179.12%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.99

$2.97 ¥19.85

12.46%

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

$2.95 €2.65

$0.44 ¥2.93

570.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.27 ¥1.80

603.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.47

$0.88 ¥5.85

340.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.10

$2.04 ¥13.61

124.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.88 ¥12.53

-32.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.61 ¥10.77

21.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$0.96 ¥6.41

82.29%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.38

$1.54 ¥10.32

217.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.65

$12.88 ¥86.1

35.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.12

$3.10 ¥20.72

192.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.08

$10.28 ¥68.7

96.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.76

$1.80 ¥12.01

71.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.20 ¥8.01

69.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$1.49 ¥9.95

74.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$1.10 ¥7.32

146.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$0.75 ¥5.04

186.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$0.89 ¥5.92

148.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.56 ¥3.77

175.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.50 ¥3.37

86.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.35

$3.12 ¥20.85

127.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.84

$10.61 ¥70.9

-28.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.74 ¥4.96

101.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.44

$1.58 ¥10.57

72.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.64

$0.27 ¥1.78

992.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.21

$16.92 ¥113

53.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.81

$1.42 ¥9.47

120.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.30

$0.35 ¥2.37

314.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.61

$6.72 ¥44.88

408.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.61

$1.13 ¥7.56

58.41%

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

$34.7K €31.1K

$19.7K ¥132.0K

75.66%

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

$30.3K €27.1K

$17.4K ¥116.0K

74.53%

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

$181 €162

$45.23 ¥302

299.47%

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

$13.56 €12.15

$9.67 ¥64.6

40.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.46

$11.80 ¥78.9

197.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.62

$41.87 ¥280

26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.38

$13.75 ¥91.9

16.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.18

$5.76 ¥38.46

97.40%

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

$939 €841

$329 ¥2,199

185.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.6K ¥110.7K

-0.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €79.0

$43.49 ¥291

102.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.63

$30.24 ¥202

31.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.6

$72.0 ¥481

43.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$72.5 ¥485

64.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,519

$280 ¥1,874

504.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,165

$195 ¥1,301

567.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,307

$590 ¥3,941

336.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,739

$354 ¥2,364

448.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,692

$3,050 ¥20.4K

144.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,653

$1,998 ¥13.3K

160.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,060

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 4, 2026

Last update for Rui'an: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Rui'an

$195 27.2% 85% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Rui'an

$198 27.6% 39.1% $127

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Rui'an

$84 11.8% 69% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Rui'an

$67 9.3% 70.9% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Rui'an

$98 13.7% 37.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Rui'an

$53 7.5% 29.7% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Rui'an

$21 3% 56% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $280 in Rui'an. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $21.00 in Rui'an for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $198 per month, with Rui'an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Rui'an

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

14:21 2:21 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

213,600

💱 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Rui'an 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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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 Rui'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Rui'an differ by about 236% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $715 including rent). Rui'an is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,607 in Barcelona and $1,072 in Rui'an 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 $280 in Rui'an. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $329 in Rui'an. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $715 in Rui'an versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rui'an but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Rui'an 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 Rui'an 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 Rui'an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 236% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.