Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanning and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanning: $737 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nanning, China
Barcelona, Spain
Nanning
🇨🇳 China
$737
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Nanning versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

  • Nanning $737
  • Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,176 in Nanning versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

  • Nanning $1,176
  • Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,615 in Nanning versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

  • Nanning $1,615
  • Barcelona $4,564

Living in Nanning 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: Nanning is 46% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nanning
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.97 ¥19.73
$17.59 €15.75
-83.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.42 ¥136
$67.5 €60.5
-69.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.76 ¥38.31
$13.53 €12.12
-57.43%
Cappuccino
$2.33 ¥15.51
$3.19 €2.86
-26.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ¥3.70
$2.91 €2.61
-80.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.78
$1.89 €1.70
-85.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.88 ¥5.84
$4.01 €3.59
-78.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 ¥15.29
$4.53 €4.06
-49.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nanning
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 ¥14.91
$1.31 €1.17
70.99%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 ¥14.86
$2.02 €1.81
10.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.13 ¥7.54
$1.85 €1.66
-38.92%
Eggs
$1.93 ¥12.85
$4.83 €4.33
-60.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ¥68.5
$16.74 €14.99
-38.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.93 ¥26.14
$9.12 €8.17
-56.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.63 ¥117
$19.64 €17.59
-10.23%
Apples (1kg)
$1.89 ¥12.57
$2.98 €2.67
-36.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 ¥8.73
$2.02 €1.81
-35.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 ¥10.11
$2.70 €2.42
-43.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.68 ¥11.17
$2.80 €2.51
-40.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.97 ¥6.45
$2.09 €1.87
-53.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.21 ¥8.05
$2.07 €1.85
-41.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 ¥3.80
$1.46 €1.31
-60.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ¥4.22
$0.94 €0.84
-32.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.07 ¥27.10
$6.87 €6.15
-40.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.93 ¥99.3
$7.89 €7.06
89.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 ¥6.22
$1.41 €1.26
-34.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 ¥10.96
$2.54 €2.27
-35.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Nanning
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.50 ¥3.30
$3.14 €2.82
-84.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.90 ¥106
$25.45 €22.79
-37.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.37 ¥9.13
$2.99 €2.68
-54.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 ¥3.09
$1.49 €1.34
-69.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.48 ¥49.76
$33.37 €29.89
-77.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 ¥8.62
$1.80 €1.61
-27.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.2K ¥154.6K
$33.2K €29.7K
-30.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$13.2K ¥88.2K
$31.7K €28.4K
-58.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nanning
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.66 ¥224
$180 €162
-81.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.52 ¥96.6
$13.84 €12.39
4.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.84 ¥72.2
$33.70 €30.18
-67.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nanning
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.0 ¥506
$51.5 €46.13
47.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.43 ¥49.41
$15.96 €14.29
-53.45%
Cinema Ticket
$6.93 ¥46.14
$10.99 €9.85
-36.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nanning
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$304 ¥2,020
$917 €821
-66.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,423 ¥29.4K
$16.5K €14.8K
-73.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nanning
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.68 ¥131
$87.0 €77.9
-77.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.48 ¥196
$38.51 €34.49
-23.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.5 ¥436
$106 €94.8
-38.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.4 ¥481
$120 €107
-39.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nanning
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$251 ¥1,669
$1,699 €1,522
-85.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$156 ¥1,036
$1,355 €1,214
-88.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$388 ¥2,580
$2,603 €2,331
-85.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$294 ¥1,959
$2,062 €1,847
-85.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,516 ¥23.4K
$6,915 €6,193
-49.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,577 ¥10.5K
$5,128 €4,592
-69.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nanning
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$667 ¥4,438
$2,211 €1,980
-69.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.63
3.28
10.67%

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

Last update for Nanning: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Nanning
$245
Barcelona
$322 31.2% $77
Accommodation & Living
Nanning
$156
Barcelona
$1.4K 770% $1.2K
Sport & Entertainment
Nanning
$90
Barcelona
$74 18.2% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Nanning
$84
Barcelona
$158 87.7% $74
Eating Out
Nanning
$81
Barcelona
$268 230% $187
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nanning
$59
Barcelona
$228 286% $169
Getting Around
Nanning
$22
Barcelona
$48 125% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in Nanning and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.3 times 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: $20 in Nanning vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $322 per month, with Nanning cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Nanning
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
02:51 2:51 AM
19:51 7:51 PM
7 h behind Nanning
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,741,584
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nanning Barcelona 9,600 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nanning
  • 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
Nanning vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Nanning and in Barcelona?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $737 in Nanning and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Nanning is about 70% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Nanning. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Nanning and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $251 in Nanning versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Nanning and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $304 in Nanning versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $737 in Nanning versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nanning but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Nanning the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Nanning and Barcelona?
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.
Where should expats move: Nanning or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Nanning gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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