Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Xi'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Xi’an: $755 a month against $2,443 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
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Xi'an Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Xi'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 Xi'an actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $755 in Xi’an.

Barcelona $2,443
Xi'an $755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,173 in Xi’an.

Barcelona $3,519
Xi'an $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,592 in Xi’an.

Barcelona $4,595
Xi'an $1,592

Living in Barcelona is roughly 224% more expensive than in Xi’an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Xi’an is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$2.92 ¥19.47

504.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$18.34 ¥122

267.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$4.55 ¥30.32

199.12%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$2.10 ¥13.96

47.62%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$0.42 ¥2.78

614.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.27 ¥1.80

614.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$1.47 ¥9.76

161.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$1.49 ¥9.90

192.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.46 ¥9.72

-14.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.73 ¥11.53

22.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.87 ¥5.77

126.44%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$1.47 ¥9.76

223.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$11.43 ¥76.1

49.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$4.46 ¥29.74

100.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$10.65 ¥70.9

93.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$1.63 ¥10.83

93.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.16 ¥7.71

69.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.14 ¥7.58

132.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.31 ¥8.75

119.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.64 ¥4.27

221.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.79 ¥5.28

175.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.70 ¥4.65

118.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.55 ¥3.65

76.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$3.46 ¥23.07

101.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$11.13 ¥74.1

-29.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.81 ¥5.38

75.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.74 ¥11.61

54.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.31 ¥2.08

967.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$24.59 ¥164

4.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.25 ¥8.35

146.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.29 ¥1.90

410.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$3.55 ¥23.65

825.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.37 ¥9.11

36.50%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

71.71%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$17.5K ¥116.6K

82.52%

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

$183 €163

$88.4 ¥589

106.80%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$6.47 ¥43.12

120.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$10.74 ¥71.5

221.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$29.85 ¥199

72.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

$21.42 ¥143

-23.53%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$5.70 ¥38.00

94.04%

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

$944 €842

$908 ¥6,045

3.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$22.3K ¥148.8K

-0.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$39.32 ¥262

122.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$37.62 ¥251

3.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$76.2 ¥508

37.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$109 ¥725

8.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$290 ¥1,932

485.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$188 ¥1,250

612.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$715 ¥4,760

276.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$361 ¥2,404

475.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$2,285 ¥15.2K

213.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$1,598 ¥10.6K

217.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

$1,262 ¥8,402

77.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.35

-4.78%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Xi'an: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Xi'an

$188 24.9% 86% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Xi'an

$199 26.3% 39.4% $129

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Xi'an

$75 10% 71.8% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Xi'an

$106 14% 54.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Xi'an

$118 15.6% 24.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Xi'an

$41 5.5% 43.9% $32

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Xi'an

$29 3.8% 42.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $290 in Xi’an. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 78% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $18 in Xi’an for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $199 per month, with Xi’an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

12,183,280

💱 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 Xi'an 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Xi'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $755 in Xi’an, so Xi’an is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $290 in Xi’an. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $908 in Xi’an. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Xi’an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.