Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tainan Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tainan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,074 in Tainan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,873 in Tainan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $2,672 in Tainan.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 120% more expensive than Tainan, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Tainan is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$6.12 NT$193

187.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$26.69 NT$841

156.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$5.11 NT$161

175.15%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$3.50 NT$110

-20.57%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$1.12 NT$35.27

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$0.79 NT$24.77

160.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$3.30 NT$104

35.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$3.35 NT$105

37.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$3.15 NT$99.3

-60.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.92 NT$60.4

5.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$3.02 NT$95.0

-36.42%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$2.85 NT$89.7

16.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$19.81 NT$624

-6.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$9.98 NT$315

-4.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$20.31 NT$640

-5.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$4.33 NT$137

-39.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$2.82 NT$88.8

-13.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$2.87 NT$90.3

-26.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$4.27 NT$135

-33.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$2.87 NT$90.4

-28.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$2.21 NT$69.5

-16.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.68 NT$52.8

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.06 NT$33.30

-20.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$4.16 NT$131

71.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$13.93 NT$439

-43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.74 NT$54.8

-20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.40 NT$75.7

-3.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$0.62 NT$19.56

380.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$21.71 NT$684

34.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$2.83 NT$89.0

62.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$0.78 NT$24.63

165.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$10.36 NT$326

181.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.02 NT$32.08

80.39%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$37.7K NT$1.2M

3.48%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$26.5K NT$836.1K

23.20%

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

$188 €162

$86.7 NT$2,732

116.63%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$18.57 NT$585

23.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$22.99 NT$724

59.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$39.82 NT$1,254

44.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$15.42 NT$486

34.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$11.93 NT$376

-6.20%

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

$721 €621

$269 NT$8,479

167.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$6,829 NT$215.1K

120.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$59.5 NT$1,874

44.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$30.34 NT$956

22.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$92.2 NT$2,905

10.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$122 NT$3,848

-5.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$328 NT$10.3K

367.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$195 NT$6,157

524.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$684 NT$21.5K

294.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$712 NT$22.4K

182.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$3,183 NT$100.3K

126.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

$3,153 NT$99.3K

64.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$1,368 NT$43.1K

72.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

1.83

85.25%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Tainan: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $328 in Tainan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 73% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $27.00 in Tainan. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $390, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

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 Tainan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Tainan differ by about 120% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,074 including rent). Tainan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Barcelona pays 73% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $328 in Tainan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $269 in Tainan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,074 in Tainan versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tainan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Tainan 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 Tainan 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 Tainan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.