Cost of Living · CN vs ES
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $1,382 in Spain — 36.64% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 9.72%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 10.78%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 10.78%
Closest to China prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +43.16%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +43.16%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +43.15%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $931 (860 EUR) | +43.15% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $745 (688 EUR) | +43.16% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | +43.16% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | +32.53% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | +32.57% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | +29.34% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | +24.19% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | +22.53% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | +22.8% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | +22.71% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | +22.91% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | +22.71% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | +22.91% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | +21.93% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | +32.25% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | +10.78% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | +32.17% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | +22.14% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | +29.2% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | +28.68% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | +32.61% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | +32.53% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | +9.72% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $127 (118 EUR) | +29.21% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | +29.21% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | +29.2% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | +32.56% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | +32.5% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | +32.58% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | +10.78% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | +10.79% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $152 (141 EUR) | +32.57% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Spain than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $1,011 in China — 36.64% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $650/month in China (+43.15%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.