Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shijiazhuang and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Shijiazhuang: $682 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
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Shijiazhuang Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $682 in Shijiazhuang versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Shijiazhuang $682
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,021 in Shijiazhuang versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Shijiazhuang $1,021
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,359 in Shijiazhuang versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Shijiazhuang $1,359
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Shijiazhuang 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: Shijiazhuang is 50% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.76 ¥11.80

$17.89 €15.92

-90.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.64 ¥125

$66.2 €58.9

-71.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.68 ¥37.97

$13.69 €12.18

-58.51%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.89

$3.06 €2.72

6.86%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$3.07 €2.73

-84.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.82

$1.94 €1.73

-86.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.23

$3.87 €3.44

-79.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.42

$4.61 €4.10

-62.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.44

$1.30 €1.16

-3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ¥7.78

$2.10 €1.87

-44.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$1.83 €1.62

-62.84%

Eggs

$1.29 ¥8.61

$4.62 €4.11

-72.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.50 ¥110

$17.36 €15.44

-4.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.63 ¥17.58

$9.28 €8.25

-71.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 ¥64.7

$19.83 €17.64

-51.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.10

$3.01 €2.68

-44.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.24

$2.03 €1.81

-39.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.65 €2.36

-70.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.95

$2.87 €2.55

-58.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$2.16 €1.92

-70.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$2.15 €1.91

-71.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.56

$1.47 €1.31

-53.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.88 €0.79

-51.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.39

$6.93 €6.16

-45.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.83 ¥25.58

$7.83 €6.96

-51.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.78

$1.39 €1.24

-48.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.63 €2.34

-70.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$2.91 €2.59

-89.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.67 ¥118

$25.46 €22.64

-30.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$3.00 €2.66

-59.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

$1.44 €1.28

-74.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 ¥23.81

$33.20 €29.53

-89.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.86 €1.65

-33.33%

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

$19.7K ¥131.4K

$32.3K €28.8K

-39.22%

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

$17.3K ¥116.0K

$31.7K €28.2K

-45.29%

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

$95.2 ¥637

$183 €163

-47.89%

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

$4.40 ¥29.42

$13.61 €12.11

-67.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.60 ¥44.16

$32.93 €29.29

-79.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.69 ¥91.5

$54.7 €48.65

-74.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.08 ¥101

$16.52 €14.70

-8.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 ¥37.19

$11.23 €9.99

-50.49%

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

$369 ¥2,467

$954 €849

-61.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,270 ¥35.2K

$16.6K €14.8K

-68.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 ¥339

$86.0 €76.5

-40.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.12 ¥175

$39.11 €34.78

-33.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥499

$104 €92.2

-28.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 ¥353

$119 €106

-55.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥2,006

$1,695 €1,508

-82.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 ¥1,231

$1,276 €1,135

-85.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 ¥2,802

$2,576 €2,291

-83.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ¥1,864

$1,922 €1,710

-85.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,534 ¥16.9K

$7,281 €6,477

-65.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 ¥11.4K

$5,010 €4,456

-65.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$808 ¥5,400

$2,227 €1,981

-63.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

3.28

0.91%

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

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shijiazhuang

$184 27%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 593% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Shijiazhuang

$172 25.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 88.7% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shijiazhuang

$106 15.6%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 116% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Shijiazhuang

$92 13.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 70.1% $64

Eating Out

Shijiazhuang

$81 11.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 234% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.6%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 211% $52

Getting Around

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 115% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Shijiazhuang and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 176% 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: $19.00 in Shijiazhuang vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $325 per month, with Shijiazhuang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

12:53 12:53 PM

6 h behind Shijiazhuang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,235,086

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shijiazhuang Barcelona 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Shijiazhuang
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

Shijiazhuang vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shijiazhuang and Barcelona differ by about 249% in total monthly costs ($682 vs $2,381 including rent). Shijiazhuang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 176% 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: $300 in Shijiazhuang versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $369 in Shijiazhuang 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 89% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $682 in Shijiazhuang versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shijiazhuang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Shijiazhuang 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, Shijiazhuang 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 Shijiazhuang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 249% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.