Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changzhou and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Changzhou: $741 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.

36

Cost of Living Index in Changzhou
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Changzhou Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Changzhou

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Changzhou and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Changzhou and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $741 in Changzhou versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Changzhou $741
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,217 in Changzhou versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Changzhou $1,217
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Changzhou versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Changzhou $1,694
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Changzhou costs roughly 69% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.50

$17.94 €15.96

-83.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.54 ¥191

$68.1 €60.5

-58.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ¥30.16

$13.28 €11.81

-66.04%

Cappuccino

$2.22 ¥14.82

$3.25 €2.89

-31.69%

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

$0.38 ¥2.55

$3.01 €2.67

-87.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$1.87 €1.66

-87.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$3.85 €3.42

-83.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.69

$4.48 €3.98

-67.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.47

$1.29 €1.15

44.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ¥8.59

$2.04 €1.81

-37.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.65

$1.72 €1.53

-41.86%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.53

$4.77 €4.24

-63.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ¥49.53

$16.77 €14.92

-55.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 ¥18.85

$8.93 €7.94

-68.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.35 ¥82.6

$19.88 €17.68

-37.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ¥14.44

$2.98 €2.65

-27.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.58

$2.03 €1.80

-14.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.14

$2.73 €2.43

-27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.96

$2.68 €2.38

-61.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.13

$2.10 €1.87

-63.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$2.08 €1.85

-52.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$1.45 €1.29

-73.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.18

$0.89 €0.79

-30.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ¥22.03

$6.94 €6.17

-52.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 ¥70.8

$7.78 €6.92

35.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$1.45 €1.29

-43.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.45

$2.57 €2.29

-39.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$2.99 €2.66

-88.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.32 ¥95.8

$25.20 €22.41

-43.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ¥10.09

$3.12 €2.77

-51.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.44 €1.28

-78.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ¥19.57

$33.50 €29.80

-91.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$1.79 €1.59

-26.82%

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

$17.1K ¥114.1K

$34.6K €30.8K

-50.72%

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

$13.8K ¥92.3K

$30.1K €26.7K

-54.08%

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

$57.5 ¥385

$178 €158

-67.66%

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

$8.13 ¥54.3

$13.32 €11.85

-38.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.66 ¥71.3

$34.88 €31.03

-69.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.60 ¥271

$53.3 €47.37

-23.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.75 ¥98.6

$16.01 €14.24

-7.87%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 ¥30.53

$11.06 €9.84

-58.68%

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

$251 ¥1,681

$957 €851

-73.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ¥101.0K

$16.6K €14.7K

-8.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 ¥370

$88.2 €78.4

-37.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.58 ¥151

$39.49 €35.12

-42.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 ¥508

$103 €91.5

-26.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.2 ¥510

$121 €108

-37.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 ¥1,908

$1,653 €1,470

-82.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ¥1,529

$1,302 €1,158

-82.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 ¥6,132

$2,557 €2,275

-64.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥3,311

$1,915 €1,703

-74.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,942 ¥19.7K

$7,286 €6,481

-59.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,613 ¥10.8K

$5,080 €4,519

-68.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 ¥7,131

$2,281 €2,029

-53.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.28

2.13%

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

Last update for Changzhou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Changzhou

$229 30.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 469% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Changzhou

$192 25.9%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 67% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Changzhou

$104 14%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 53% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changzhou

$76 10.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 196% $150

Eating Out

Changzhou

$72 9.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 276% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Changzhou

$50 6.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 51.6% $26

Getting Around

Changzhou

$19 2.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 154% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $285 in Changzhou and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 114% 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: $29.00 in Changzhou vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $320 per month, with Changzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changzhou

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

07:30 7:30 AM

6 h behind Changzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,278,121

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Changzhou Barcelona 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Changzhou
Barcelona

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

Changzhou vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changzhou and Barcelona differ by about 224% in total monthly costs ($741 vs $2,399 including rent). Changzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 114% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $285 in Changzhou versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Changzhou versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $741 in Changzhou versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changzhou but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Changzhou 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, Changzhou and Barcelona 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 Changzhou 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.