Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zhangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangzhou: $716 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zhangzhou
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Zhangzhou Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Zhangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zhangzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $716 in Zhangzhou.

Barcelona $2,381
Zhangzhou $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,132 in Zhangzhou.

Barcelona $3,406
Zhangzhou $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,547 in Zhangzhou.

Barcelona $4,431
Zhangzhou $1,547

Living in Barcelona is roughly 232% more expensive than in Zhangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Zhangzhou is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.74 ¥18.35

552.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$21.73 ¥145

204.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.80 ¥32.11

185.21%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.05 ¥20.39

0.33%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.47 ¥3.16

553.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.27 ¥1.78

618.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.90 ¥6.01

330.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.06 ¥13.75

123.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.81 ¥12.13

-28.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.59 ¥10.65

32.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.90 ¥6.03

103.33%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.55 ¥10.35

198.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$12.58 ¥84.1

38.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$3.15 ¥21.08

194.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$10.14 ¥67.8

95.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.86 ¥12.45

61.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.25 ¥8.36

62.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.48 ¥9.91

79.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.10 ¥7.38

160.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.73 ¥4.88

195.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.91 ¥6.11

136.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.55 ¥3.70

167.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.56 ¥3.72

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.06 ¥20.49

126.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$10.62 ¥71.0

-26.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.73 ¥4.89

90.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.58 ¥10.55

66.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.29 ¥1.95

903.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$16.89 ¥113

50.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.41 ¥9.43

112.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.32 ¥2.17

350.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$6.55 ¥43.79

406.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.12 ¥7.48

66.07%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

69.10%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$17.2K ¥115.3K

83.87%

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

$183 €163

$45.55 ¥305

301.23%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$9.74 ¥65.1

39.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$11.81 ¥79.0

178.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$41.19 ¥275

32.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$13.66 ¥91.4

20.94%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.94 ¥39.75

89.06%

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

$954 €849

$337 ¥2,251

183.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$16.7K ¥111.4K

-0.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$43.23 ¥289

99.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$30.11 ¥201

29.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$71.1 ¥476

45.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$72.8 ¥487

62.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$282 ¥1,886

501.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$196 ¥1,308

552.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$584 ¥3,902

341.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$361 ¥2,411

433.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,977 ¥19.9K

144.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,003 ¥13.4K

150.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.89

-15.68%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zhangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Zhangzhou

$196 27.3% 84.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Zhangzhou

$197 27.5% 39.4% $128

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Zhangzhou

$85 11.8% 68.6% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Zhangzhou

$67 9.4% 70.7% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Zhangzhou

$98 13.7% 37.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Zhangzhou

$53 7.4% 31.2% $24

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Zhangzhou

$21 2.9% 55.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $282 in Zhangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $22.00 in Zhangzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $197 per month, with Zhangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇳 Zhangzhou

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

4,809,983

💱 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 Zhangzhou 10,130 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Zhangzhou

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 Zhangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Zhangzhou differ by about 232% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $716 including rent). Zhangzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $1,074 in Zhangzhou 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $282 in Zhangzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $337 in Zhangzhou. 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.

At $716 in Zhangzhou versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhangzhou but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangzhou 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 Zhangzhou 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 Zhangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 232% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.