Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zhangjiagang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $740 in Zhangjiagang.

Barcelona $2,399
Zhangjiagang $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,149 in Zhangjiagang.

Barcelona $3,410
Zhangjiagang $1,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,558 in Zhangjiagang.

Barcelona $4,421
Zhangjiagang $1,558

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Zhangjiagang is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$3.80 ¥25.42

372.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$22.20 ¥148

206.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$4.98 ¥33.31

166.67%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$3.04 ¥20.32

6.91%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.49 ¥3.29

514.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.27 ¥1.81

592.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$1.51 ¥10.09

154.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.22 ¥14.84

101.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.08 ¥13.89

-37.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.09 ¥13.95

-2.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.84 ¥5.64

104.76%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.36 ¥9.09

250.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$10.64 ¥71.1

57.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$2.93 ¥19.59

204.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$9.12 ¥61.0

117.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.04 ¥13.65

46.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.29 ¥8.64

57.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.80 ¥12.03

51.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.11 ¥7.39

141.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.90 ¥5.99

133.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.90 ¥6.03

131.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.87 ¥5.80

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.53 ¥3.51

67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$3.64 ¥24.37

90.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$13.44 ¥89.9

-42.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.94 ¥6.27

54.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.56 ¥10.44

64.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.30 ¥1.99

896.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$17.58 ¥118

43.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.76 ¥11.78

77.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.39 ¥2.60

269.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$8.76 ¥58.6

282.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.37 ¥9.14

30.66%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

80.60%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$16.9K ¥112.7K

78.40%

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

$178 €158

$55.8 ¥373

219.01%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$7.76 ¥51.9

71.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$7.32 ¥48.97

376.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$36.15 ¥242

47.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$16.01 ¥107

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$6.07 ¥40.60

82.21%

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

$957 €851

$418 ¥2,793

129.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$22.3K ¥149.4K

-25.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$42.99 ¥287

105.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$34.04 ¥228

16.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$65.7 ¥439

56.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$88.5 ¥591

37.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$280 ¥1,869

491.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$194 ¥1,295

572.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$719 ¥4,808

255.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$324 ¥2,167

490.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,266 ¥21.8K

123.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,685 ¥11.3K

201.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.42

-4.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 85.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 36.3% $116

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 64.1% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 68.7% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 34.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 35.9% $27

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 52.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $22.00 in Zhangjiagang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $204 per month, with Zhangjiagang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

13:31 1:31 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,432,044

💱 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 Zhangjiagang 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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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 Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Zhangjiagang differ by about 224% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $740 including rent). Zhangjiagang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,599 in Barcelona and $1,110 in Zhangjiagang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $418 in Zhangjiagang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $740 in Zhangjiagang versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiagang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 224% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.