Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $726 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu 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 Chengdu and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $726 in Chengdu versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Chengdu $726
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Chengdu versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Chengdu $1,170
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,614 in Chengdu versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Chengdu $1,614
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Chengdu costs roughly 70% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chengdu is 47% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.43

$17.59 €15.75

-83.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.28 ¥148

$67.5 €60.5

-66.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 ¥32.28

$13.53 €12.12

-64.15%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥19.95

$3.19 €2.86

-5.96%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$2.91 €2.61

-82.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$1.89 €1.70

-86.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$4.01 €3.59

-62.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.20

$4.53 €4.06

-49.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.29

$1.31 €1.17

41.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$2.02 €1.81

-26.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.58

$1.85 €1.66

-46.49%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.70

$4.83 €4.33

-66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.31 ¥95.2

$16.74 €14.99

-14.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ¥24.25

$9.12 €8.17

-60.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 ¥73.4

$19.64 €17.59

-43.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.62

$2.98 €2.67

-36.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$2.02 €1.81

-31.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.91

$2.70 €2.42

-61.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ¥7.98

$2.80 €2.51

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.91

$2.09 €1.87

-64.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.57

$2.07 €1.85

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.23

$1.46 €1.31

-56.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.83

$0.94 €0.84

-38.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.53

$6.87 €6.15

-46.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 ¥29.09

$7.89 €7.06

-44.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.58

$1.41 €1.26

-40.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$2.54 €2.27

-41.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$3.14 €2.82

-90.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.23 ¥168

$25.45 €22.79

-0.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ¥8.83

$2.99 €2.68

-55.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$1.49 €1.34

-79.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 ¥29.08

$33.37 €29.89

-86.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.48

$1.80 €1.61

-29.44%

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

$19.6K ¥130.7K

$33.2K €29.7K

-40.81%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$31.7K €28.4K

-43.06%

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

$46.65 ¥310

$180 €162

-74.14%

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

$9.40 ¥62.6

$13.84 €12.39

-32.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.87 ¥85.6

$33.70 €30.18

-61.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.11 ¥180

$51.5 €46.13

-47.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.21 ¥74.6

$15.96 €14.29

-29.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 ¥41.03

$10.99 €9.85

-43.86%

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

$1,161 ¥7,725

$917 €821

26.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K ¥101.5K

$16.5K €14.8K

-7.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.36 ¥169

$87.0 €77.9

-70.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.52 ¥183

$38.51 €34.49

-28.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ¥380

$106 €94.8

-46.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 ¥354

$120 €107

-55.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 ¥2,830

$1,699 €1,522

-74.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 ¥1,540

$1,355 €1,214

-82.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 ¥5,027

$2,603 €2,331

-70.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,178

$2,062 €1,847

-76.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,476 ¥23.1K

$6,915 €6,193

-49.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 ¥12.3K

$5,128 €4,592

-64.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,278 ¥8,503

$2,211 €1,980

-42.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

3.28

3.05%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$231 31.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 486% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 26.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 65.2% $127

Eating Out

Chengdu

$89 12.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 201% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 10.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 115% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 231% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 86.4% $34

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 65.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $425 in Chengdu and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 73% 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: $22 in Chengdu vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $322 per month, with Chengdu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

17:27 5:27 PM

7 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chengdu Barcelona 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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

Chengdu vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $726 in Chengdu and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Chengdu is about 70% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Chengdu. 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: $425 in Chengdu versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,161 in Chengdu versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chengdu – a meal for two runs $22 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $726 in Chengdu versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chengdu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Chengdu 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.

It comes down to priorities – Chengdu wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.