Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tangshan and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Tangshan: $717 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Tangshan
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Tangshan Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Tangshan

🇨🇳 China

$717

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $717 in Tangshan versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Tangshan $717
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,135 in Tangshan versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Tangshan $1,135
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,553 in Tangshan versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Tangshan $1,553
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Tangshan costs roughly 70% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tangshan is 47% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 ¥18.12

$17.94 €15.96

-84.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.35 ¥143

$68.1 €60.5

-68.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥33.17

$13.28 €11.81

-62.65%

Cappuccino

$2.98 ¥19.91

$3.25 €2.89

-8.31%

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

$0.43 ¥2.86

$3.01 €2.67

-85.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$1.87 €1.66

-85.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$3.85 €3.42

-77.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.76

$4.48 €3.98

-54.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.58

$1.29 €1.15

45.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ¥10.47

$2.04 €1.81

-23.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$1.72 €1.53

-47.67%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.31

$4.77 €4.24

-67.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.69 ¥84.9

$16.77 €14.92

-24.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ¥21.16

$8.93 €7.94

-64.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 ¥67.7

$19.88 €17.68

-49.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ¥12.23

$2.98 €2.65

-38.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$2.03 €1.80

-38.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.81

$2.73 €2.43

-46.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.42

$2.68 €2.38

-58.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$2.10 €1.87

-67.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$2.08 €1.85

-53.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.78

$1.45 €1.29

-60.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.47

$0.89 €0.79

-41.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 ¥20.82

$6.94 €6.17

-55.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 ¥69.9

$7.78 €6.92

34.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.25

$1.45 €1.29

-46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.56

$2.57 €2.29

-38.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$2.99 €2.66

-90.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.81 ¥112

$25.20 €22.41

-33.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ¥9.07

$3.12 €2.77

-56.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$1.44 €1.28

-75.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.81 ¥45.55

$33.50 €29.80

-79.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.78

$1.79 €1.59

-35.20%

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

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

-43.68%

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

$16.9K ¥113.2K

$30.1K €26.7K

-43.69%

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

$45.10 ¥302

$178 €158

-74.64%

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

$10.08 ¥67.4

$13.32 €11.85

-24.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.56 ¥77.3

$34.88 €31.03

-66.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.01 ¥281

$53.3 €47.37

-21.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$16.01 €14.24

-11.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 ¥39.99

$11.06 €9.84

-45.93%

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

$335 ¥2,241

$957 €851

-64.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.2K

$16.6K €14.7K

1.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.43 ¥290

$88.2 €78.4

-50.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.18 ¥202

$39.49 €35.12

-23.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$103 €91.5

-29.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 ¥485

$121 €108

-40.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,855

$1,653 €1,470

-83.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,313

$1,302 €1,158

-84.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 ¥3,948

$2,557 €2,275

-76.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 ¥2,452

$1,915 €1,703

-80.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,057 ¥20.4K

$7,286 €6,481

-58.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,063 ¥13.8K

$5,080 €4,519

-59.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.28

18.60%

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

Last update for Tangshan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tangshan

$197 27.5%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 62.4% $123

Accommodation & Living

Tangshan

$196 27.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 563% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Tangshan

$98 13.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 61.1% $60

Eating Out

Tangshan

$84 11.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 223% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tangshan

$67 9.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 239% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Tangshan

$54 7.5%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 39.6% $21

Getting Around

Tangshan

$21 2.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 126% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $278 in Tangshan and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Tangshan vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $320 per month, with Tangshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Tangshan

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

10:42 10:42 AM

6 h behind Tangshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,717,983

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

Tangshan Barcelona 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Tangshan
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

Tangshan vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tangshan and Barcelona differ by about 235% in total monthly costs ($717 vs $2,399 including rent). Tangshan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,076 in Tangshan and $3,599 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $278 in Tangshan versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $335 in Tangshan versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $717 in Tangshan versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tangshan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Tangshan 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, Tangshan 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 Tangshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 235% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.