Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,134 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,134

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,134 in Shenzhen versus $2,405 in Barcelona.

Shenzhen $1,134
Barcelona $2,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,734 in Shenzhen versus $3,477 in Barcelona.

Shenzhen $1,734
Barcelona $3,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,333 in Shenzhen versus $4,550 in Barcelona.

Shenzhen $2,333
Barcelona $4,550

Living in Shenzhen costs roughly 53% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shenzhen is 15% below, Barcelona is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 ¥24.33

$17.98 €16.05

-79.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.70 ¥199

$67.4 €60.2

-55.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥34.18

$13.37 €11.93

-61.71%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ¥21.47

$3.34 €2.98

-3.89%

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

$0.59 ¥3.91

$2.95 €2.64

-80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$1.90 €1.69

-82.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$3.88 €3.46

-61.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$4.57 €4.08

-50.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$1.27 €1.13

22.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.97

$1.96 €1.75

-16.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.29

$1.75 €1.56

-37.71%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥11.78

$4.89 €4.36

-64.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.95 ¥140

$17.47 €15.59

19.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 ¥22.62

$9.06 €8.09

-62.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥96.1

$20.18 €18.01

-28.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.47

$3.08 €2.75

-25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$2.03 €1.81

-21.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$2.60 €2.32

-27.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.44

$2.71 €2.42

-47.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.16

$2.15 €1.92

-50.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.28

$2.21 €1.97

-43.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$1.54 €1.38

-61.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.93 €0.83

-36.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 ¥30.35

$7.09 €6.32

-35.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 ¥79.0

$7.63 €6.81

54.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$1.49 €1.33

-38.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.76

$2.73 €2.43

-35.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$2.95 €2.63

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.95 ¥147

$25.91 €23.13

-15.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.75

$3.13 €2.80

-53.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$1.45 €1.29

-73.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 ¥47.67

$34.17 €30.49

-79.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.05

$1.79 €1.60

-24.58%

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

$19.3K ¥129.3K

$34.7K €31.0K

-44.22%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$30.3K €27.0K

-38.67%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$181 €161

-64.69%

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

$10.04 ¥67.1

$13.56 €12.10

-25.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.28 ¥109

$35.12 €31.34

-53.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 ¥336

$53.2 €47.44

-5.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 ¥114

$16.05 €14.33

6.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.63

$11.37 €10.14

-35.97%

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

$523 ¥3,496

$939 €838

-44.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K ¥159.1K

$16.5K €14.7K

44.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥368

$88.2 €78.7

-37.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 ¥271

$39.77 €35.49

1.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥481

$103 €92.3

-30.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 ¥617

$119 €107

-22.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 ¥5,103

$1,695 €1,513

-54.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 ¥3,238

$1,301 €1,161

-62.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 ¥13.0K

$2,576 €2,299

-24.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 ¥5,650

$1,941 €1,732

-56.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.0K ¥93.7K

$7,470 €6,666

87.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 ¥41.0K

$5,195 €4,636

18.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,693 ¥11.3K

$2,299 €2,052

-26.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.28

2.13%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 6, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$484 42.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 168% $816

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 30.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 34.9% $41

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$99 8.7%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 176% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$90 8%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 155% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 17.1% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 73.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $764 in Shenzhen and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 36% 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: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $67.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $325 per month, with Shenzhen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

10:17 10:17 AM

6 h behind Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shenzhen Barcelona 10,040 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
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

Shenzhen vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen and Barcelona differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($1,134 vs $2,405 including rent). Shenzhen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Barcelona. 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: $764 in Shenzhen versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $523 in Shenzhen versus $939 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,134 in Shenzhen versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shenzhen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Shenzhen 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.

Safety-wise, Shenzhen and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shenzhen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.