Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Barcelona

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 35.9% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 47.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 40% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 41.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.73 ¥33.92
$17.41 €15.03
-72.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.17 ¥259
$68.7 €59.3
-47.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.6 ¥40.18
$13.71 €11.84
-59.15%
Cappuccino
$3.56 ¥25.53
$2.78 €2.4
28.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.9
$2.8 €2.42
-80.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ¥2.59
$1.98 €1.71
-81.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.43 ¥10.25
$4.43 €3.83
-67.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ¥19.81
$4.53 €3.91
-39.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 ¥15.66
$1.24 €1.07
75.81%
White Bread (500g)
$1.81 ¥13
$2.03 €1.75
-10.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.1 ¥7.9
$1.98 €1.71
-44.44%
Eggs
$1.69 ¥12.1
$3.46 €2.99
-51.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.79 ¥113
$18.32 €15.82
-13.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ¥22.76
$9.82 €8.47
-67.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.88 ¥78.1
$19.24 €16.61
-43.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 ¥16.24
$2.61 €2.25
-13.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ¥11.98
$2.34 €2.02
-28.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 ¥12.78
$2.11 €1.82
-15.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 ¥10.94
$2.77 €2.39
-45.13%
Potato (1kg)
$0.85 ¥6.09
$2.04 €1.76
-58.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ¥8.37
$1.77 €1.53
-33.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ¥4.84
$1.5 €1.3
-54.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.6 ¥4.29
$0.85 €0.73
-29.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.87 ¥20.56
$7 €6.04
-59.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.16 ¥80
$7.13 €6.16
56.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.8 ¥5.73
$1.43 €1.24
-44.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ¥11.22
$2.29 €1.98
-31.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.4 ¥2.89
$3.02 €2.6
-86.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.15 ¥252
$28.97 €25.01
21.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 ¥16.45
$4.59 €3.96
-50.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.37 ¥2.69
$2.02 €1.74
-81.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.14 ¥58.4
$29.56 €25.53
-72.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ¥7.81
$1.81 €1.56
-39.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K ¥140.1K
$38.4K €33.1K
-49.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.2K ¥130.5K
$32.4K €28K
-43.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.6 ¥370
$190 €164
-72.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.68 ¥62.2
$22.18 €19.15
-60.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.5 ¥96.8
$36.37 €31.4
-62.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.42 ¥333
$57.4 €49.55
-19.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.44 ¥147
$20.95 €18.09
-2.43%
Cinema Ticket
$8.58 ¥61.5
$10.8 €9.33
-20.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,307 ¥9,378
$732 €632
78.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.4K ¥225.4K
$15.1K €13.1K
107.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.8 ¥422
$86.8 €74.9
-32.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.99 ¥265
$36.78 €31.76
0.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 ¥558
$102 €88.2
-23.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.5 ¥706
$117 €101
-15.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$952 ¥6,827
$1,581 €1,365
-39.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$574 ¥4,115
$1,230 €1,062
-53.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,518 ¥18.1K
$2,707 €2,337
-7.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 ¥8,614
$2,028 €1,751
-40.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.4K ¥103.2K
$6,602 €5,700
117.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,106 ¥51K
$5,045 €4,356
40.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,534 ¥11K
$2,198 €1,898
-30.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
3.39
5.60%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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