Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Xianyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Xianyang: $617 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Xianyang
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Xianyang Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Xianyang

🇨🇳 China

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Xianyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $617 in Xianyang.

Barcelona $2,381
Xianyang $617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $995 in Xianyang.

Barcelona $3,406
Xianyang $995

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,373 in Xianyang.

Barcelona $4,431
Xianyang $1,373

Living in Barcelona is roughly 286% more expensive than in Xianyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Xianyang is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.25 ¥15.06

695.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$17.21 ¥115

284.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.46 ¥29.81

206.95%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.08 ¥13.93

47.12%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.39 ¥2.58

687.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.27 ¥1.80

618.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.77 ¥5.17

402.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$1.45 ¥9.71

217.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.44 ¥9.61

-9.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.07 ¥7.13

96.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.78 ¥5.22

134.62%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.41 ¥9.45

227.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$9.57 ¥64.0

81.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$1.81 ¥12.13

412.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$7.38 ¥49.37

168.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.22 ¥8.18

146.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.03 ¥6.86

97.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.25 ¥8.36

112.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.63 ¥4.19

355.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.43 ¥2.89

402.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.59 ¥3.92

264.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.63 ¥4.20

133.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.59 ¥3.95

49.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.07 ¥20.52

125.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.32 ¥48.97

6.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.44 ¥2.92

215.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.76 ¥11.78

49.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.29 ¥1.92

903.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$17.65 ¥118

44.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.29 ¥8.62

132.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.29 ¥1.91

396.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$4.53 ¥30.31

632.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.20 ¥8.05

55.00%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.5K ¥130.5K

65.75%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$11.9K ¥79.6K

166.27%

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

$183 €163

$36.81 ¥246

396.50%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$6.37 ¥42.62

113.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$10.61 ¥70.9

210.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$42.47 ¥284

28.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$15.22 ¥102

8.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.88 ¥39.33

90.99%

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

$954 €849

$333 ¥2,229

186.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$15.1K ¥101.1K

9.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$38.65 ¥258

122.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$37.53 ¥251

4.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$75.6 ¥506

37.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$60.1 ¥402

97.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$297 ¥1,988

470.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$180 ¥1,203

609.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$618 ¥4,130

317.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$381 ¥2,547

404.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,456 ¥23.1K

110.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$753 ¥5,033

565.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$598 ¥3,999

272.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.35

-2.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Xianyang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Xianyang

$180 29.1% 85.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Xianyang

$147 23.8% 54.9% $178

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Xianyang

$66 10.7% 75.6% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Xianyang

$54 8.7% 76.5% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Xianyang

$95 15.5% 39% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Xianyang

$54 8.8% 29.7% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Xianyang

$22 3.5% 54.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $297 in Xianyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 272% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $17.00 in Xianyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $147 per month, with Xianyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Xianyang

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,324,612

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Xianyang 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Xianyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Xianyang differ by about 286% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $617 including rent). Xianyang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 272% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $297 in Xianyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $333 in Xianyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 122% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $617 in Xianyang versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xianyang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Xianyang 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 Xianyang 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 Xianyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 286% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.