Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: China is 47.3% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 67.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: China is 49.3% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 61.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ¥19.39

$17.98 €16.05

-83.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.02 ¥147

$67.4 €60.2

-67.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.74

$13.37 €11.93

-61.11%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.31

$3.34 €2.98

-8.98%

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

$0.52 ¥3.45

$2.95 €2.64

-82.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$1.90 €1.69

-85.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$3.88 €3.46

-73.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.64

$4.57 €4.08

-52.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$1.27 €1.13

37.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.96

$1.96 €1.75

-16.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.75 €1.56

-47.43%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.66

$4.89 €4.36

-67.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$17.47 €15.59

-25.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.38

$9.06 €8.09

-63.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 ¥74.7

$20.18 €18.01

-44.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$3.08 €2.75

-41.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$2.03 €1.81

-35.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$2.60 €2.32

-43.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.79

$2.71 €2.42

-51.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$2.15 €1.92

-64.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$2.21 €1.97

-58.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$1.54 €1.38

-61.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.93 €0.83

-41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥25.34

$7.09 €6.32

-46.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 ¥81.1

$7.63 €6.81

59.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$1.49 €1.33

-44.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$2.73 €2.43

-40.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$2.95 €2.63

-90.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.33 ¥149

$25.91 €23.13

-13.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$3.13 €2.80

-51.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.31

$1.45 €1.29

-75.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.79

$34.17 €30.49

-79.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$1.79 €1.60

-26.82%

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

$19.0K ¥127.1K

$34.7K €31.0K

-45.16%

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

$17.0K ¥113.7K

$30.3K €27.0K

-43.83%

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

$54.1 ¥362

$181 €161

-70.04%

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

$8.42 ¥56.3

$13.56 €12.10

-37.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.72 ¥71.6

$35.12 €31.34

-69.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.72 ¥272

$53.2 €47.44

-23.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.58 ¥97.4

$16.05 €14.33

-9.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.15

$11.37 €10.14

-40.55%

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

$462 ¥3,089

$939 €838

-50.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$16.5K €14.7K

18.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.57 ¥305

$88.2 €78.7

-48.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.05 ¥241

$39.77 €35.49

-9.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$103 €92.3

-27.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ¥528

$119 €107

-33.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,577

$1,695 €1,513

-77.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,601

$1,301 €1,161

-81.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 ¥5,637

$2,576 €2,299

-67.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥3,083

$1,941 €1,732

-76.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,590 ¥30.7K

$7,470 €6,666

-38.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$5,195 €4,636

-56.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,060 ¥7,082

$2,299 €2,052

-53.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.28

5.49%

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

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$240 30.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 443% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

China

$207 26.1%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 56.8% $118

Clothing & Footwear

China

$106 13.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 48.6% $52

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 209% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 213% $156

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 39.9% $22

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 79.8% $21

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Barcelona 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

China vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Barcelona

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

China

Barcelona

China

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China vs other spots: cost of living compared

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