Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenyang and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $708 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$708

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $708 in Shenyang versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Shenyang $708
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,046 in Shenyang versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Shenyang $1,046
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,384 in Shenyang versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Shenyang $1,384
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Shenyang costs roughly 71% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shenyang is 48% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 ¥19.72

$17.59 €15.76

-83.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.45 ¥149

$67.5 €60.5

-66.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 ¥35.89

$13.53 €12.12

-60.09%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥16.64

$3.19 €2.86

-21.63%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$2.91 €2.61

-83.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.57

$1.89 €1.70

-79.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.72

$4.01 €3.59

-78.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.54

$4.53 €4.06

-58.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ¥13.31

$1.31 €1.17

52.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 ¥15.80

$2.02 €1.81

17.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$1.85 €1.66

-41.62%

Eggs

$1.07 ¥7.09

$4.83 €4.33

-77.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 ¥79.2

$19.64 €17.60

-39.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.90

$2.98 €2.67

-39.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.75

$2.02 €1.81

-42.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$2.80 €2.51

-47.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.46 €1.31

-57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.28

$0.94 €0.84

-31.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.52

$6.87 €6.16

-46.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.70 ¥111

$7.89 €7.07

111.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ¥4.54

$1.41 €1.26

-51.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ¥7.52

$2.54 €2.27

-55.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.90

$3.14 €2.82

-90.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.87 ¥98.8

$25.45 €22.80

-41.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.15

$2.99 €2.68

-53.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$1.49 €1.34

-79.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 ¥20.31

$33.37 €29.91

-90.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.80 €1.61

-27.78%

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

$19.4K ¥128.7K

$33.2K €29.7K

-41.64%

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

$17.5K ¥116.0K

$31.7K €28.4K

-44.95%

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

$76.2 ¥506

$180 €162

-57.78%

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

$15.50 ¥103

$13.84 €12.40

11.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.86 ¥98.7

$33.70 €30.20

-55.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.51 ¥150

$51.5 €46.16

-56.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.68 ¥71.0

$15.96 €14.30

-33.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ¥39.04

$10.99 €9.85

-46.50%

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

$549 ¥3,650

$917 €821

-40.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ¥145.4K

$16.5K €14.8K

32.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.33 ¥281

$87.0 €78.0

-51.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥405

$106 €94.8

-42.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ¥466

$120 €107

-41.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ¥1,499

$1,699 €1,523

-86.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 ¥1,514

$1,355 €1,214

-83.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 ¥3,578

$2,603 €2,332

-79.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$344 ¥2,287

$2,062 €1,848

-83.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,814 ¥12.1K

$6,915 €6,196

-73.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,102 ¥7,322

$5,128 €4,595

-78.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,082 ¥7,190

$2,211 €1,981

-51.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

3.28

33.23%

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

Last update for Shenyang: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenyang

$228 32.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 495% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Shenyang

$161 * 22.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 100% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenyang

$107 15.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 114% $121

Eating Out

Shenyang

$81 11.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 229% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Shenyang

$78 * 11%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 103% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Shenyang

$34 4.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 115% $39

Getting Around

Shenyang

$19 2.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 156% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $226 in Shenyang and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2 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: $22 in Shenyang vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $161 vs $322 per month, with Shenyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

06:29 6:29 AM

7 h behind Shenyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,199,601

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shenyang Barcelona 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenyang
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

Shenyang vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $708 in Shenyang and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Shenyang is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Shenyang. 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: $226 in Shenyang versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $549 in Shenyang versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 100% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $708 in Shenyang versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Shenyang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Shenyang 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 Shenyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.