Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,105 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Kaohsiung versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Kaohsiung $1,105
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,796 in Kaohsiung versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Kaohsiung $1,796
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,487 in Kaohsiung versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Kaohsiung $2,487
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Kaohsiung costs roughly 55% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kaohsiung is 19% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 NT$155

$17.59 €15.75

-73.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.77 NT$1,003

$67.5 €60.5

-54.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$150

$13.53 €12.12

-66.00%

Cappuccino

$2.93 NT$95.4

$3.19 €2.86

-8.15%

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

$1.05 NT$34.21

$2.91 €2.61

-63.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.61

$1.89 €1.70

-63.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 NT$49.24

$4.01 €3.59

-62.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 NT$78.1

$4.53 €4.06

-47.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$103

$1.31 €1.17

141.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$71.1

$2.02 €1.81

7.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.5

$1.85 €1.66

55.14%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$4.83 €4.33

-47.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.21 NT$496

$16.74 €14.99

-9.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 NT$262

$9.12 €8.17

-11.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 NT$481

$19.64 €17.59

-24.80%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 NT$209

$2.98 €2.67

114.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.9

$2.02 €1.81

38.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.8

$2.70 €2.42

-10.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.6

$2.80 €2.51

7.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 NT$87.4

$2.09 €1.87

28.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$64.4

$2.07 €1.85

-4.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$74.9

$1.46 €1.31

57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$0.94 €0.84

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 NT$138

$6.87 €6.15

-38.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.44 NT$503

$7.89 €7.06

95.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.5

$1.41 €1.26

14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$68.0

$2.54 €2.27

-17.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 NT$20.35

$3.14 €2.82

-80.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.04 NT$393

$25.45 €22.79

-52.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$86.0

$2.99 €2.68

-11.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 NT$25.48

$1.49 €1.34

-47.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 NT$185

$33.37 €29.89

-82.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 NT$31.78

$1.80 €1.61

-46.11%

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

$37.1K NT$1.2M

$33.2K €29.7K

11.91%

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

$22.7K NT$739.4K

$31.7K €28.4K

-28.46%

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

$82.1 NT$2,676

$180 €162

-54.51%

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

$16.89 NT$551

$13.84 €12.39

22.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.27 NT$824

$33.70 €30.18

-25.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 NT$1,278

$51.5 €46.13

-23.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 NT$330

$15.96 €14.29

-36.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 NT$330

$10.99 €9.85

-8.01%

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

$448 NT$14.6K

$917 €821

-51.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K NT$445.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

-17.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 NT$2,935

$87.0 €77.9

3.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 NT$1,019

$38.51 €34.49

-18.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 NT$2,805

$106 €94.8

-18.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 NT$3,239

$120 €107

-17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 NT$14.0K

$1,699 €1,522

-74.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,806

$1,355 €1,214

-77.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$32.1K

$2,603 €2,331

-62.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.2K

$2,062 €1,847

-67.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,146 NT$135.2K

$6,915 €6,193

-40.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,875 NT$93.7K

$5,128 €4,592

-43.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,401 NT$45.7K

$2,211 €1,980

-36.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

3.28

-21.95%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 9.4% $33

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 351% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 14.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 83.5% $104

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 152% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 23.7% $14

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 130% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $430 in Kaohsiung and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 58% 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: $31 in Kaohsiung vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:21 7:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

7 h behind Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

1,660,122

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

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

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kaohsiung Barcelona 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaohsiung
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

Kaohsiung vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,105 in Kaohsiung and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Kaohsiung is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Kaohsiung. 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: $430 in Kaohsiung versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $448 in Kaohsiung versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,105 in Kaohsiung versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kaohsiung 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, Kaohsiung and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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