Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qinhuangdao and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Qinhuangdao $714
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,135 in Qinhuangdao versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Qinhuangdao $1,135
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,556 in Qinhuangdao versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Qinhuangdao $1,556
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Qinhuangdao 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: Qinhuangdao is 47% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ¥18.36

$17.89 €15.98

-84.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.79 ¥145

$66.2 €59.1

-67.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 ¥32.50

$13.69 €12.23

-64.35%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.24

$3.06 €2.73

-0.65%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$3.07 €2.74

-84.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$1.94 €1.73

-86.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$3.87 €3.45

-76.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.18

$4.61 €4.12

-53.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.31

$1.30 €1.16

42.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.33

$2.10 €1.88

-26.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$1.83 €1.63

-51.37%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.20

$4.62 €4.13

-66.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.05 ¥86.9

$17.36 €15.50

-24.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ¥20.71

$9.28 €8.29

-66.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 ¥68.8

$19.83 €17.71

-47.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.46

$3.01 €2.69

-37.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$2.03 €1.81

-38.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.77

$2.65 €2.37

-44.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.63

$2.87 €2.56

-59.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$2.16 €1.93

-66.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$2.15 €1.92

-55.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.47 €1.32

-59.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.41

$0.88 €0.79

-42.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 ¥20.32

$6.93 €6.19

-55.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.69 ¥71.2

$7.83 €6.99

36.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.25

$1.39 €1.24

-43.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.89

$2.63 €2.35

-37.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$2.91 €2.60

-90.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.97 ¥113

$25.46 €22.74

-33.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$3.00 €2.68

-52.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$1.44 €1.29

-77.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.62 ¥44.04

$33.20 €29.65

-80.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$1.86 €1.66

-38.71%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$32.3K €28.9K

-40.62%

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

$17.1K ¥113.8K

$31.7K €28.3K

-46.07%

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

$44.64 ¥297

$183 €163

-75.57%

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

$9.87 ¥65.7

$13.61 €12.16

-27.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.90 ¥79.2

$32.93 €29.41

-63.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 ¥281

$54.7 €48.85

-22.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.09 ¥93.8

$16.52 €14.76

-14.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.79 ¥38.55

$11.23 €10.03

-48.44%

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

$337 ¥2,244

$954 €852

-64.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥114.2K

$16.6K €14.8K

3.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 ¥294

$86.0 €76.8

-48.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.35 ¥202

$39.11 €34.93

-22.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ¥478

$104 €92.6

-30.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥470

$119 €106

-40.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,835

$1,695 €1,514

-83.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,272

$1,276 €1,140

-85.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 ¥3,998

$2,576 €2,300

-76.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,413

$1,922 €1,717

-81.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥20.4K

$7,281 €6,503

-57.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 ¥13.8K

$5,010 €4,474

-58.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,989

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 Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 63.3% $126

Accommodation & Living

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 568% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 60.1% $59

Eating Out

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 217% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 245% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 43.6% $23

Getting Around

Qinhuangdao

$21 3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 124% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $276 in Qinhuangdao and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Qinhuangdao vs $66 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $325 per month, with Qinhuangdao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

21:44 9:44 PM

7 h behind Qinhuangdao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,987,605

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Qinhuangdao Barcelona 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Qinhuangdao
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

Qinhuangdao vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qinhuangdao and Barcelona differ by about 233% in total monthly costs ($714 vs $2,381 including rent). Qinhuangdao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,071 in Qinhuangdao 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: $276 in Qinhuangdao versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $337 in Qinhuangdao 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 63% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Qinhuangdao but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Qinhuangdao 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.

Expats usually find Qinhuangdao 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.