China vs Spain - Cost of Living Comparison

China Spain
🚶 Cost of living one person
$692
$1318
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1854
$3004
🏠 One person rent
$301
$714
🏘️ Family rent
$533
$1128
🍽️ Food expenses
$238
$386
🚐 Transport expenses
$71.3
$94.1
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$833
$1962
💸 GDP per capita
$12720
$29350
😃 Human freedom index
5.22
8.08
❤️ Life expectancy
78.2
83.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
45
60
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
22%
🎓 Higher education
90
91
😀 Quality of life
51
82
🏙️ Population
1.44B
47.4M

The average cost of living in China ($692) is 48% less expensive than in Spain ($1318). China ranked 138th vs 40th 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 1.5 months in Spain. Ranked 81st and 27th 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
$3.73
$12.9
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.3
$44.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.85
$9.17
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.56
$3.5
 Cappuccino
$3.39
$2.28
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.48
$2.14
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$340
$719
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$231
$557
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$649
$1189
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$420
$893
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.5
$89.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$54.5
$137
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$12.6
$36.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.93%
2.88%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4602
$3586
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2867
$2339
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.35
$1.76
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$20.3
$39.5
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.27
$16.1
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.14
$1.82
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.82
$1.04
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.48
$1.18
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.08
$1.27
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.71
$2.72
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.4
$13
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.71
$7.81
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.9
$12.7
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.63
$2.09
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.3
$1.93
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.47
$1.74
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.2
$2.19
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.81
$1.43
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.87
$1.59
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.41
$0.49
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.2
$2.11
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13.1
$6.22
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.83
$1.09
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.19
$5.75
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.83
$9.23
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.49
$3.52
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.46
$1.88
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.62
$2.14
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$34.3
$43
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.04
$8.8
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$34.8
$69
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.54
$15.8
👖 Brand Jeans
$53.2
$77.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$78.8
$82
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$393
$415
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$14422
$8000

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
$1150
21.9M
Shanghai
$1183
24.9M
Shenzhen
$1043
17.5M
Chongqing
$684
32.1M
Hong Kong
$2720
7.41M
Guangzhou
$760
18.7M
Chengdu
$677
20.9M
Tianjin
$724
13.9M
Hangzhou
$849
11.9M
Xi'an
$563
13M
Nantong
$756
7.73M
Baoding
$494
11.5M
Wuhan
$643
12.3M
Suzhou
$1073
12.7M
Qingdao
$647
10.1M
Nanjing
$762
9.31M
Shijiazhuang
$508
10.6M
Foshan
$605
9.5M
Wuxi
$813
7.46M
Quanzhou
$687
8.78M
Hefei
$636
9.37M
Bijie
$614
6.9M
Changchun
$604
9.07M
Dongguan
$726
10.5M
Ningbo
$844
9.4M
Jieyang
$957
6.09M
Ganzhou
$831
8.97M
Guiyang
$568
5.99M
Yantai
$642
7.1M
Shenyang
$580
9.07M

In Spain

City Cost of living Population
Madrid
$1642
3.28M
Barcelona
$1720
1.64M
Valencia
$1405
792K
Tenerife
$1305
932K
Malaga
$1388
579K
Seville
$1234
682K
Zaragoza
$1161
673K
Palma de Mallorca
$1481
416K
Bilbao
$1512
344K
Murcia
$1183
460K
Pamplona
$1356
203K
Alicante
$1170
339K
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
$1538
265K
Valladolid
$1203
296K
San Sebastian
$1545
188K
Terrassa
$1297
224K
Vitoria-Gasteiz
$1333
254K
Las Palmas
$1244
379K
Gijon
$1225
268K
Sabadell
$1395
216K
Vigo
$1128
292K
Badalona
$1542
224K
Granada
$1215
229K
Cordoba
$1035
320K
Oviedo
$1114
186K
A Coruna
$1223
245K
Jerez de la Frontera
$944
213K
Elche
$1006
236K
Cartagena
$965
217K
Santander
$1193
172K