Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
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Taiyuan Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $589 in Taiyuan versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Taiyuan $589
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $913 in Taiyuan versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Taiyuan $913
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,238 in Taiyuan versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Taiyuan $1,238
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Taiyuan costs roughly 75% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taiyuan is 56% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.21

$17.94 €15.96

-87.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.73 ¥98.4

$68.1 €60.5

-78.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ¥29.37

$13.28 €11.81

-66.87%

Cappuccino

$2.64 ¥17.60

$3.25 €2.89

-18.77%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$3.01 €2.67

-84.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.87 €1.66

-84.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.12

$3.85 €3.42

-68.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.36

$4.48 €3.98

-52.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$1.72 €1.53

-51.74%

Eggs

$1.01 ¥6.75

$4.77 €4.24

-78.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ¥86.9

$19.88 €17.68

-34.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.50

$2.98 €2.65

-37.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$2.03 €1.80

-32.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$2.73 €2.43

-70.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.76

$2.68 €2.38

-56.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 ¥3.20

$2.10 €1.87

-77.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.08 €1.85

-86.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$0.89 €0.79

-48.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.72

$6.94 €6.17

-57.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ¥50.5

$7.78 €6.92

-2.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.45 €1.29

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$2.57 €2.29

-43.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$2.99 €2.66

-89.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.65 ¥91.1

$25.20 €22.41

-45.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$3.12 €2.77

-62.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$1.44 €1.28

-84.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ¥24.88

$33.50 €29.80

-88.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$1.79 €1.59

-30.17%

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

$20.0K ¥133.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

-42.31%

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

$17.5K ¥117.1K

$30.1K €26.7K

-41.68%

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

$94.3 ¥630

$178 €158

-46.97%

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

$10.27 ¥68.6

$13.32 €11.85

-22.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 ¥85.1

$34.88 €31.03

-63.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 ¥302

$53.3 €47.37

-15.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 ¥58.5

$16.01 €14.24

-45.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.31

$11.06 €9.84

-39.96%

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

$957 €851

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.60 ¥184

$88.2 €78.4

-68.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 ¥449

$39.49 €35.12

70.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 ¥494

$103 €91.5

-28.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 ¥397

$121 €108

-51.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,488

$1,653 €1,470

-86.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ¥759

$1,302 €1,158

-91.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 ¥3,714

$2,557 €2,275

-78.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 ¥1,730

$1,915 €1,703

-86.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,629 ¥17.6K

$7,286 €6,481

-63.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 ¥8,356

$5,080 €4,519

-75.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$928 ¥6,194

$2,281 €2,029

-59.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

3.28

16.77%

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

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiyuan

$117 19.9%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 92.6% $109

Accommodation & Living

Taiyuan

$114 19.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 1045% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 211% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Taiyuan

$103 17.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 54.3% $56

Eating Out

Taiyuan

$76 13%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 253% $194

Sport & Entertainment

Taiyuan

$58 9.9%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 29% $17

Getting Around

Taiyuan

$17 2.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 176% $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 $223 in Taiyuan and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 146% 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: $15.00 in Taiyuan vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $103 vs $320 per month, with Taiyuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

13:52 1:52 PM

6 h behind Taiyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,525,300

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Taiyuan Barcelona 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Taiyuan
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

Taiyuan vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taiyuan and Barcelona differ by about 307% in total monthly costs ($589 vs $2,399 including rent). Taiyuan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 146% 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: $223 in Taiyuan versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Taiyuan – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Taiyuan runs roughly 85% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $589 in Taiyuan versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taiyuan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Taiyuan 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, Taiyuan 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 Taiyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 307% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.