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

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 36% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 49.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 38.5% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 39.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥33.95

$17.64 €15.01

-71.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$68.1 €58.0

-46.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.04

$13.96 €11.88

-61.17%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.31

$2.76 €2.35

28.99%

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

$0.53 ¥3.64

$2.76 €2.35

-80.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$1.97 €1.67

-83.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.23

$4.53 €3.85

-70.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.87

$4.53 €3.85

-39.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.54

$1.24 €1.05

71.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.58

$2.04 €1.73

-9.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.19

$1.91 €1.63

-45.03%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.45

$3.39 €2.89

-50.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥106

$18.34 €15.60

-15.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.13

$9.39 €7.99

-65.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.0

$18.90 €16.08

-42.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.22

$2.63 €2.23

-9.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.57

$2.40 €2.04

-29.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.27

$2.12 €1.80

-15.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.09

$2.70 €2.30

-45.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.83

$2.05 €1.75

-58.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.99

$1.78 €1.52

-34.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$1.47 €1.25

-57.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.15

$0.91 €0.77

-32.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.17

$7.01 €5.97

-59.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.2

$7.59 €6.46

56.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.38

$1.44 €1.22

-45.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.72

$2.32 €1.97

-32.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$2.94 €2.50

-85.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

$29.38 €25.00

18.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.33

$4.53 €3.85

-50.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$2.14 €1.82

-82.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.2

$28.97 €24.65

-71.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.87

$1.89 €1.61

-39.15%

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

$19.9K ¥135.8K

$39.0K €33.2K

-49.07%

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

$17.8K ¥121.8K

$32.4K €27.6K

-45.03%

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

$52.2 ¥357

$189 €161

-72.35%

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

$8.70 ¥59.4

$22.24 €18.92

-60.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.7

$36.57 €31.12

-62.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥316

$58.0 €49.38

-20.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

$21.30 €18.13

-3.99%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$11.01 €9.37

-24.98%

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

$1,266 ¥8,649

$731 €622

73.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.2K

$14.8K €12.6K

115.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥408

$89.3 €76.0

-33.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$37.38 €31.81

2.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥527

$105 €89.0

-26.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥657

$116 €99.0

-17.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,478

$1,551 €1,320

-38.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,908

$1,216 €1,035

-52.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$2,799 €2,382

-11.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,239

$2,008 €1,709

-39.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.2K

$7,161 €6,094

96.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$5,021 €4,273

43.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$2,462 €2,095

-31.70%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: April 13, 2026

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

Shanghai vs other spots: cost of living compared

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