Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cixi and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $709 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
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Cixi Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $709 in Cixi versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Cixi $709
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,125 in Cixi versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Cixi $1,125
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,542 in Cixi versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Cixi $1,542
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Cixi 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: Cixi is 48% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 ¥18.38

$17.89 €15.92

-84.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.47 ¥144

$66.2 €58.9

-67.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ¥31.99

$13.69 €12.18

-65.08%

Cappuccino

$2.98 ¥19.94

$3.06 €2.72

-2.61%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$3.07 €2.73

-85.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.94 €1.73

-85.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$3.87 €3.44

-75.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ¥14.19

$4.61 €4.10

-54.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.50

$1.30 €1.16

43.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$2.10 €1.87

-25.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.51

$1.83 €1.62

-46.99%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.30

$4.62 €4.11

-66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 ¥84.3

$17.36 €15.44

-27.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ¥20.89

$9.28 €8.25

-66.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 ¥67.4

$19.83 €17.64

-49.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.10

$3.01 €2.68

-39.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$2.03 €1.81

-38.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$2.65 €2.36

-41.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.29

$2.87 €2.55

-62.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.65

$2.16 €1.92

-67.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$2.15 €1.91

-56.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.47 €1.31

-59.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.88 €0.79

-38.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 ¥20.39

$6.93 €6.16

-55.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$7.83 €6.96

34.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$1.39 €1.24

-46.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.96

$2.63 €2.34

-37.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$2.91 €2.59

-90.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.43 ¥110

$25.46 €22.64

-35.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ¥9.54

$3.00 €2.66

-52.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$1.44 €1.28

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 ¥43.90

$33.20 €29.53

-80.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.54

$1.86 €1.65

-39.25%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-40.85%

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

$17.4K ¥116.5K

$31.7K €28.2K

-45.03%

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

$45.68 ¥305

$183 €163

-75.01%

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

$9.85 ¥65.8

$13.61 €12.11

-27.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.86 ¥79.3

$32.93 €29.29

-63.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.22 ¥276

$54.7 €48.65

-24.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$16.52 €14.70

-16.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ¥38.92

$11.23 €9.99

-48.17%

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

$334 ¥2,231

$954 €849

-65.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ¥110.6K

$16.6K €14.8K

-0.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.93 ¥287

$86.0 €76.5

-50.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.21 ¥202

$39.11 €34.78

-22.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 ¥479

$104 €92.2

-30.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ¥482

$119 €106

-39.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,875

$1,695 €1,508

-83.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ¥1,268

$1,276 €1,135

-85.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 ¥3,942

$2,576 €2,291

-77.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,394

$1,922 €1,710

-81.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,020 ¥20.2K

$7,281 €6,477

-58.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,070 ¥13.8K

$5,010 €4,456

-58.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.28

18.60%

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

Last update for Cixi: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cixi

$197 27.8%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 64.9% $128

Accommodation & Living

Cixi

$190 26.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 573% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Cixi

$98 13.8%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 60.2% $59

Eating Out

Cixi

$84 11.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 221% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cixi

$67 9.5%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 240% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Cixi

$53 7.5%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 46% $24

Getting Around

Cixi

$21 2.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 128% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Cixi and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Cixi vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $325 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Cixi

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

04:54 4:54 AM

6 h behind Cixi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,829,488

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 24, 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 24, 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

Cixi Barcelona 9,900 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cixi
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

Cixi vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi and Barcelona differ by about 236% in total monthly costs ($709 vs $2,381 including rent). Cixi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,064 in Cixi and $3,571 in Barcelona 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: $280 in Cixi versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $334 in Cixi versus $954 in Barcelona. 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 $709 in Cixi versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi 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, Cixi 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 Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 236% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.