Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongshan and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongshan: $695 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$695

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $695 in Zhongshan versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Zhongshan $695
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,110 in Zhongshan versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Zhongshan $1,110
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,525 in Zhongshan versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Zhongshan $1,525
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Zhongshan 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: Zhongshan is 49% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.14

$17.89 €15.92

-83.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.23 ¥162

$66.2 €58.9

-63.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.45 ¥29.76

$13.69 €12.18

-67.49%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ¥18.91

$3.06 €2.72

-7.52%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$3.07 €2.73

-84.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.94 €1.73

-85.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.13

$3.87 €3.44

-80.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.05

$4.61 €4.10

-60.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥10.26

$1.30 €1.16

17.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.99

$2.10 €1.87

-21.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.56

$1.83 €1.62

-62.84%

Eggs

$1.24 ¥8.29

$4.62 €4.11

-73.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.87 ¥140

$17.36 €15.44

20.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 ¥18.72

$9.28 €8.25

-69.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 ¥90.5

$19.83 €17.64

-31.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ¥14.34

$3.01 €2.68

-28.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$2.03 €1.81

-46.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.56

$2.65 €2.36

-74.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.76

$2.87 €2.55

-49.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$2.16 €1.92

-73.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$2.15 €1.91

-66.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$1.47 €1.31

-70.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.56

$0.88 €0.79

-39.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ¥19.58

$6.93 €6.16

-57.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 ¥78.9

$7.83 €6.96

50.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.62

$1.39 €1.24

-50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.12

$2.63 €2.34

-31.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.91 €2.59

-90.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.11 ¥101

$25.46 €22.64

-40.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.68

$3.00 €2.66

-51.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$1.44 €1.28

-71.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.01 ¥46.88

$33.20 €29.53

-78.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$1.86 €1.65

-30.11%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$32.3K €28.8K

-39.31%

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

$18.2K ¥121.6K

$31.7K €28.2K

-42.62%

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

$40.99 ¥274

$183 €163

-77.57%

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

$10.15 ¥67.9

$13.61 €12.11

-25.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.59 ¥84.2

$32.93 €29.29

-61.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 ¥448

$54.7 €48.65

22.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.62 ¥50.9

$16.52 €14.70

-53.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.88

$11.23 €9.99

-48.26%

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

$317 ¥2,117

$954 €849

-66.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K ¥89.4K

$16.6K €14.8K

-19.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.42 ¥324

$86.0 €76.5

-43.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.64 ¥265

$39.11 €34.78

1.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 ¥401

$104 €92.2

-42.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.5 ¥505

$119 €106

-36.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 ¥1,407

$1,695 €1,508

-87.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 ¥834

$1,276 €1,135

-90.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,517

$2,576 €2,291

-85.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 ¥1,453

$1,922 €1,710

-88.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,531 ¥16.9K

$7,281 €6,477

-65.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,509 ¥10.1K

$5,010 €4,456

-69.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$956 ¥6,391

$2,227 €1,981

-57.08%

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 Zhongshan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhongshan

$226 32.5%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 43.9% $99

Accommodation & Living

Zhongshan

$125 17.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 923% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongshan

$101 14.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 55.5% $56

Eating Out

Zhongshan

$82 11.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 229% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongshan

$79 11.3%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 1.9% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongshan

$64 9.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 260% $166

Getting Around

Zhongshan

$20 2.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 139% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $210 in Zhongshan and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 133% 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: $24.00 in Zhongshan vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $325 per month, with Zhongshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

02:52 2:52 AM

6 h behind Zhongshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,209,600

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 21, 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 21, 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

Zhongshan Barcelona 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhongshan
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

Zhongshan vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhongshan and Barcelona differ by about 243% in total monthly costs ($695 vs $2,381 including rent). Zhongshan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 133% 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: $210 in Zhongshan versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $317 in Zhongshan 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 44% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $695 in Zhongshan versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zhongshan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zhongshan 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, Zhongshan 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 Zhongshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 243% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.