Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zhangjiakou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
Learn more

Zhangjiakou Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zhangjiakou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $776 in Zhangjiakou.

Barcelona $2,381
Zhangjiakou $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,223 in Zhangjiakou.

Barcelona $3,406
Zhangjiakou $1,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,670 in Zhangjiakou.

Barcelona $4,431
Zhangjiakou $1,670

Living in Barcelona is roughly 207% more expensive than in Zhangjiakou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Zhangjiakou is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.98

$2.21 ¥14.72

709.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$24.26 ¥161

172.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.23

$5.91 ¥39.37

131.64%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.73

$3.50 ¥23.30

-12.57%

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

$3.07 €2.74

$0.50 ¥3.35

514.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.26 ¥1.72

646.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.45

$0.92 ¥6.14

320.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.12

$1.69 ¥11.27

172.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.48 ¥9.86

-12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.88

$2.21 ¥14.73

-4.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.06 ¥7.07

72.64%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.13

$1.06 ¥7.03

335.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.50

$15.23 ¥101

13.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.29

$2.98 ¥19.80

211.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.71

$9.59 ¥63.8

106.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.69

$1.66 ¥11.02

81.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.93 ¥6.16

118.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.76 ¥11.70

50.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$1.22 ¥8.10

135.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$0.81 ¥5.37

166.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$0.57 ¥3.80

277.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.62 ¥4.13

137.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.74 ¥4.93

18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.19

$3.63 ¥24.17

90.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.99

$13.60 ¥90.5

-42.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.07 ¥7.10

29.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.43 ¥16.16

8.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.60

$0.29 ¥1.90

903.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.74

$17.61 ¥117

44.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.68

$1.08 ¥7.19

177.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.33 ¥2.17

336.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.65

$6.21 ¥41.37

434.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.18 ¥7.83

57.63%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$19.6K ¥130.6K

64.84%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$17.0K ¥113.3K

86.24%

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

$183 €163

$95.7 ¥637

90.99%

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

$13.61 €12.16

$6.22 ¥41.40

118.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.41

$7.68 ¥51.1

328.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.85

$42.01 ¥280

30.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.76

$15.20 ¥101

8.68%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €10.03

$7.30 ¥48.57

53.84%

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

$954 €852

$342 ¥2,275

179.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$5,321 ¥35.4K

212.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.8

$44.73 ¥298

92.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.93

$28.35 ¥189

37.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$96.5 ¥643

7.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$60.0 ¥399

97.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,514

$294 ¥1,954

477.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,140

$182 ¥1,214

600.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,300

$622 ¥4,142

313.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,717

$379 ¥2,523

407.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,503

$3,446 ¥22.9K

111.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,474

$1,966 ¥13.1K

154.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,989

$382 ¥2,544

482.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.54

-7.34%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiakou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Zhangjiakou

$182 23.5% 85.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Zhangjiakou

$214 27.6% 34.2% $111

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Zhangjiakou

$88 11.4% 67.2% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Zhangjiakou

$110 14.1% 52.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Zhangjiakou

$103 13.3% 33.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Zhangjiakou

$57 7.3% 26.6% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Zhangjiakou

$21 2.8% 54.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $294 in Zhangjiakou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Barcelona vs $24 in Zhangjiakou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $214 per month, with Zhangjiakou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

04:44 4:44 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

4,345,491

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Zhangjiakou 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Zhangjiakou

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 Zhangjiakou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Zhangjiakou differ by about 207% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $776 including rent). Zhangjiakou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 5.8 times higher, 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 $294 in Zhangjiakou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $342 in Zhangjiakou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiakou but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiakou 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.

Expats usually find Zhangjiakou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.