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Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Shanghai

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Barcelona is 56.5% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 99.1% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Barcelona is 58.6% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 68.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Barcelona
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.08 โ‚ฌ14.72
$4.77 ยฅ33.35
258.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.5 โ‚ฌ59.9
$35.92 ยฅ251
93.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.87 โ‚ฌ11.95
$5.45 ยฅ38.07
154.50%
Cappuccino
$2.75 โ‚ฌ2.37
$3.42 ยฅ23.93
-19.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 โ‚ฌ2.34
$0.58 ยฅ4.08
368.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
$0.34 ยฅ2.36
482.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 โ‚ฌ3.82
$1.42 ยฅ9.92
211.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 โ‚ฌ3.98
$2.80 ยฅ19.59
64.64%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 โ‚ฌ1.11
$2.09 ยฅ14.61
-38.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 โ‚ฌ1.77
$1.85 ยฅ12.94
10.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 โ‚ฌ1.67
$1.10 ยฅ7.67
75.45%
Eggs
$3.46 โ‚ฌ2.98
$1.60 ยฅ11.21
116.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.86 โ‚ฌ16.26
$15.28 ยฅ107
23.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.52 โ‚ฌ8.21
$3.08 ยฅ21.56
209.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.88 โ‚ฌ16.28
$10.85 ยฅ75.9
74.01%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 โ‚ฌ2.25
$2.33 ยฅ16.32
12.02%
Banana (1kg)
$2.46 โ‚ฌ2.12
$1.77 ยฅ12.37
38.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 โ‚ฌ1.88
$1.78 ยฅ12.43
22.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.85 โ‚ฌ2.46
$1.47 ยฅ10.29
93.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 โ‚ฌ1.68
$0.81 ยฅ5.65
140.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.85 โ‚ฌ1.59
$1.16 ยฅ8.11
59.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 โ‚ฌ1.26
$0.63 ยฅ4.38
131.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 โ‚ฌ0.78
$0.60 ยฅ4.17
51.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.10 โ‚ฌ6.12
$2.77 ยฅ19.38
156.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.15 โ‚ฌ6.16
$11.49 ยฅ80.3
-37.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 โ‚ฌ1.23
$0.84 ยฅ5.87
70.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 โ‚ฌ2.00
$1.61 ยฅ11.29
44.10%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Barcelona
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.00 โ‚ฌ2.59
$0.40 ยฅ2.79
650.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.36 โ‚ฌ24.45
$34.13 ยฅ239
-16.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.56 โ‚ฌ3.93
$2.29 ยฅ16.00
99.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.12 โ‚ฌ1.83
$0.38 ยฅ2.64
457.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.59 โ‚ฌ25.50
$8.32 ยฅ58.2
255.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 โ‚ฌ1.61
$1.15 ยฅ8.01
61.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.5K โ‚ฌ33.2K
$19.7K ยฅ137.4K
95.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.5K โ‚ฌ28.0K
$18.3K ยฅ127.7K
77.77%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$184 โ‚ฌ159
$52.1 ยฅ364
254.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.87 โ‚ฌ19.72
$8.79 ยฅ61.4
160.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.73 โ‚ฌ32.52
$13.87 ยฅ96.9
172.03%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.0 โ‚ฌ49.99
$46.42 ยฅ325
24.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.16 โ‚ฌ18.24
$19.78 ยฅ138
6.98%
Cinema Ticket
$11.17 โ‚ฌ9.63
$8.28 ยฅ57.9
34.90%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$704 โ‚ฌ607
$1,297 ยฅ9,069
-45.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.9K โ‚ฌ12.9K
$30.9K ยฅ216.0K
-51.67%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.4 โ‚ฌ75.4
$59.8 ยฅ418
46.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.30 โ‚ฌ32.15
$38.03 ยฅ266
-1.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 โ‚ฌ89.6
$77.5 ยฅ541
34.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 โ‚ฌ101
$99.3 ยฅ694
17.51%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,534 โ‚ฌ1,322
$944 ยฅ6,600
62.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,227 โ‚ฌ1,057
$570 ยฅ3,986
115.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,779 โ‚ฌ2,395
$2,460 ยฅ17.2K
12.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 โ‚ฌ1,736
$1,204 ยฅ8,413
67.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,981 โ‚ฌ6,018
$14.2K ยฅ99.6K
-51.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,821 โ‚ฌ4,155
$7,080 ยฅ49.5K
-31.91%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,473 โ‚ฌ2,132
$1,632 ยฅ11.4K
51.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.39
3.58
-5.31%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Barcelona: January 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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