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

😐 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 56.4% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 97.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 62.5% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 65.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 €15.01

$4.97 ¥33.95

254.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €58.0

$36.17 ¥247

88.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.96 €11.88

$5.42 ¥37.04

157.56%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.35

$3.56 ¥24.31

-22.47%

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

$2.76 €2.35

$0.53 ¥3.64

420.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.67

$0.33 ¥2.28

496.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 €3.85

$1.35 ¥9.23

235.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €3.85

$2.76 ¥18.87

64.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.05

$2.13 ¥14.54

-41.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.73

$1.84 ¥12.58

10.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.63

$1.05 ¥7.19

81.90%

Eggs

$3.39 €2.89

$1.68 ¥11.45

101.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.34 €15.60

$15.58 ¥106

17.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 €7.99

$3.24 ¥22.13

189.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 €16.08

$10.83 ¥74.0

74.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.23

$2.37 ¥16.22

10.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.04

$1.69 ¥11.57

42.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.80

$1.80 ¥12.27

17.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.30

$1.48 ¥10.09

82.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.75

$0.85 ¥5.83

141.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 €1.52

$1.17 ¥7.99

52.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.25

$0.62 ¥4.25

137.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.77

$0.61 ¥4.15

49.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.01 €5.97

$2.81 ¥19.17

149.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.46

$11.89 ¥81.2

-36.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.22

$0.79 ¥5.38

82.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €1.97

$1.57 ¥10.72

47.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 €2.50

$0.44 ¥2.98

568.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 €25.00

$34.93 ¥239

-15.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €3.85

$2.24 ¥15.33

102.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.82

$0.38 ¥2.59

463.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.97 €24.65

$8.23 ¥56.2

252.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.61

$1.15 ¥7.87

64.35%

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

$39.0K €33.2K

$19.9K ¥135.8K

96.36%

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

$32.4K €27.6K

$17.8K ¥121.8K

81.93%

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

$189 €161

$52.2 ¥357

261.70%

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

$22.24 €18.92

$8.70 ¥59.4

155.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.57 €31.12

$13.58 ¥92.7

169.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €49.38

$46.31 ¥316

25.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.30 €18.13

$20.45 ¥140

4.16%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.37

$8.26 ¥56.5

33.29%

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

$731 €622

$1,266 ¥8,649

-42.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K €12.6K

$31.9K ¥218.2K

-53.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €76.0

$59.8 ¥408

49.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.38 €31.81

$38.23 ¥261

-2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €89.0

$77.2 ¥527

35.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.0

$96.2 ¥657

20.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 €1,320

$948 ¥6,478

63.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 €1,035

$572 ¥3,908

112.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 €2,382

$2,473 ¥16.9K

13.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,709

$1,206 ¥8,239

66.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,161 €6,094

$14.1K ¥96.2K

-49.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,021 €4,273

$7,213 ¥49.3K

-30.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,462 €2,095

$1,682 ¥11.5K

46.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

3.58

-5.31%

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

Last update for Barcelona: April 13, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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