Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Yilan Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Yilan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,093 in Yilan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,693 in Yilan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $2,294 in Yilan.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 117% more expensive than Yilan, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Yilan is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.12

$3.62 NT$114

385.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$30.73 NT$967

122.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.09

$5.34 NT$168

163.30%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$2.95 NT$93.0

-5.76%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$1.10 NT$34.59

154.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$0.69 NT$21.65

198.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$1.55 NT$48.92

187.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.96

$2.91 NT$91.6

58.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$3.57 NT$112

-65.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.74

$1.77 NT$55.8

14.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$2.00 NT$62.9

-4.00%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$2.63 NT$82.7

25.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.85

$31.73 NT$999

-41.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.16

$7.91 NT$249

19.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.48

$15.67 NT$493

22.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$4.73 NT$149

-44.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$0.87 NT$27.39

181.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.82

$2.31 NT$72.6

-8.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$1.73 NT$54.5

64.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.34 NT$42.19

52.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.39 NT$43.91

33.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.26

$2.17 NT$68.3

-32.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.30 NT$40.82

-35.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.14

$4.19 NT$132

70.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.78

$16.23 NT$511

-51.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.44 NT$45.24

-4.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.66 NT$83.7

-13.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.56

$1.00 NT$31.63

198.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.17

$34.29 NT$1,079

-14.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.95

$2.85 NT$89.6

61.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.19 NT$37.49

73.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.10

$9.97 NT$314

192.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.05 NT$32.91

75.24%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$26.6K NT$838.1K

46.52%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$23.5K NT$741.1K

38.89%

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

$188 €162

$59.6 NT$1,877

215.03%

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

$22.93 €19.73

$17.18 NT$541

33.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.58

$22.06 NT$694

66.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.35

$31.87 NT$1,003

80.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.80

$17.17 NT$541

20.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.63

$9.79 NT$308

14.30%

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

$721 €620

$359 NT$11.3K

100.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €12.9K

$20.4K NT$642.6K

-26.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$70.9 NT$2,230

21.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.89

$34.23 NT$1,077

8.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$78.7 NT$2,477

29.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.7

$86.8 NT$2,731

33.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,319

$303 NT$9,544

405.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,050

$292 NT$9,185

318.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,319

$669 NT$21.1K

302.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,732

$492 NT$15.5K

309.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,211

$7,553 NT$237.7K

-4.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,463

$5,424 NT$170.7K

-4.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,029

$1,040 NT$32.7K

126.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

2.18

55.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Yilan: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $303 in Yilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 127% 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 $31.00 in Yilan. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $376, 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 Yilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Yilan differ by about 117% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,093 including rent). Yilan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Barcelona pays 127% 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 $303 in Yilan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $359 in Yilan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,093 in Yilan versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yilan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Yilan 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 Yilan 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 Yilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.