China vs Spain - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China Spain
🚶 Cost of living one person
$679
$1383
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1883
$3131
🏠 One person rent
$287
$779
🏘️ Family rent
$532
$1253
🍽️ Food expenses
$238
$395
🚐 Transport expenses
$72.6
$87.4
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$826
$1850
💸 GDP per capita
$12720
$29675
😃 Human freedom index
5.15
8.03
❤️ Life expectancy
78.2
83.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
42
60
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
22%
🎓 Higher education
91
90
😀 Quality of life
50
79
🏙️ Population
1.44B
47.4M

The average cost of living in China ($679) is 51% less expensive than in Spain ($1383). China ranked 138th vs 38th for Spain in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.2 months in China compared to 1.3 months in Spain. Ranked 83rd and 31st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in China vs Spain infographic

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Prices in China vs Spain

We calculate prices for China and Spain as a population-weighted mean of 544 and 153 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

China Spain
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.65
$13.1
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.9
$46.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.05
$9.34
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.34
$3.32
 Cappuccino
$3.3
$2.22
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.48
$2.12
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$334
$810
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$214
$627
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$653
$1380
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$416
$1026
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$36.8
$82.9
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$56.6
$127
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$12.8
$33.5
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.73%
3.23%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5178
$3630
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2803
$2346
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.37
$1.69
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$21.7
$35.4
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.1
$15
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.16
$1.74
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.87
$1.12
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.52
$1.32
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.04
$1.34
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.71
$2.8
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.2
$13.7
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.69
$7.76
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.9
$14.2
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.67
$2.15
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.28
$1.86
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.55
$1.8
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.22
$2.42
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.8
$1.49
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.92
$1.65
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.4
$0.49
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.19
$2.08
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12.5
$6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.82
$1.13
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.23
$5.58
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.83
$9.06
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.55
$3.27
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.45
$1.86
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.64
$2.08
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$38.3
$42.4
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.98
$8.74
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.7
$67.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.51
$14.8
👖 Brand Jeans
$53.1
$75.8
👟 Brand Sneakers
$75.9
$80.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$444
$433
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$16225
$8255

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in China vs Spain

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In China

City Cost of living Population
Beijing
$1065
21.9M
Shanghai
$1190
24.9M
Hong Kong
$2614
7.41M
Shenzhen
$939
17.5M
Chongqing
$712
32.1M
Guangzhou
$742
18.7M
Chengdu
$643
20.9M
Tianjin
$688
13.9M
Xi'an
$632
13M
Suzhou
$1020
12.7M
Hangzhou
$831
11.9M
Baoding
$466
11.5M
Wuhan
$646
12.3M
Wuxi
$687
7.46M
Foshan
$575
9.5M
Nanjing
$740
9.31M
Bijie
$606
6.9M
Dongguan
$589
10.5M
Hefei
$707
9.37M
Ganzhou
$812
8.97M
Changchun
$612
9.07M
Nantong
$651
7.73M
Qingdao
$653
10.1M
Jieyang
$716
6.09M
Changsha
$533
10M
Yantai
$749
7.1M
Zhengzhou
$506
12.6M
Guiyang
$564
5.99M
Ningbo
$677
9.4M
Kunming
$609
8.46M

In Spain

City Cost of living Population
Madrid
$1726
3.28M
Barcelona
$1773
1.64M
Valencia
$1437
792K
Tenerife
$1659
932K
Malaga
$1435
579K
Seville
$1289
682K
Zaragoza
$1327
673K
Murcia
$1219
673K
Bilbao
$1501
344K
Palma de Mallorca
$1710
416K
Alicante
$1331
339K
Pamplona
$1340
203K
Valladolid
$1207
296K
Gijon
$1201
268K
Terrassa
$1409
224K
Las Palmas
$1191
379K
San Sebastian
$1530
188K
Vitoria-Gasteiz
$1382
254K
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
$1571
265K
Cordoba
$1056
320K
Sabadell
$1443
216K
Vigo
$1186
292K
Badalona
$1995
224K
Granada
$1174
229K
A Coruna
$1149
245K
Oviedo
$1114
186K
Jerez de la Frontera
$905
213K
Cartagena
$907
217K
Elche
$1158
236K
Santander
$1144
172K