Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bucheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucheon: $1,490 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Bucheon
Learn more

Bucheon Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Bucheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bucheon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Bucheon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,490 in Bucheon.

Barcelona $2,453
Bucheon $1,490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,399 in Bucheon.

Barcelona $3,509
Bucheon $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,308 in Bucheon.

Barcelona $4,564
Bucheon $3,308

Living in Barcelona is roughly 65% more expensive than in Bucheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Bucheon 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$9.03 ₩12.1K

94.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$68.1 ₩91.3K

-0.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$7.49 ₩10.0K

80.64%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.18 ₩5,607

-23.68%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.54 ₩2,068

88.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.81 ₩1,081

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.66 ₩4,903

9.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.86 ₩7,855

-22.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.05 ₩2,747

-36.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.09 ₩4,142

-34.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.40 ₩5,901

-57.95%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.73 ₩4,996

29.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$17.50 ₩23.5K

-4.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.55 ₩14.1K

-13.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$26.16 ₩35.1K

-24.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$7.64 ₩10.2K

-60.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.43 ₩4,593

-41.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$5.84 ₩7,834

-53.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$6.35 ₩8,516

-55.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.77 ₩5,052

-44.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.60 ₩3,481

-20.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.84 ₩3,805

-48.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.16 ₩1,558

-18.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$3.40 ₩4,558

102.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$18.79 ₩25.2K

-58.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.28 ₩3,049

-38.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.24 ₩4,348

-21.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.16 ₩1,550

170.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.67 ₩4,925

-18.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.60 ₩800

148.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$8.84 ₩11.9K

277.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.46 ₩1,955

23.29%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$30.0K ₩40.2M

10.79%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$28.5K ₩38.3M

11.03%

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

$180 €162

$215 ₩287.9K

-16.00%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$35.76 ₩47.9K

-61.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$20.84 ₩27.9K

61.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$55.1 ₩73.8K

-6.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$14.32 ₩19.2K

11.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.13 ₩14.9K

-1.26%

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

$917 €821

$374 ₩501.6K

144.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$23.1K ₩30.9M

-28.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$59.1 ₩79.2K

47.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$33.12 ₩44.4K

16.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$70.3 ₩94.2K

50.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$81.9 ₩109.8K

46.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$497 ₩665.9K

242.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$357 ₩478.9K

279.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,199 ₩1.6M

117.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$740 ₩991.6K

178.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$7,114 ₩9.5M

-2.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$5,501 ₩7.4M

-6.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,529 ₩2.0M

44.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.08

-19.61%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bucheon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Bucheon

$357 24% 73.6% $998

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Bucheon

$479 32.1% 48.8% $157

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Bucheon

$184 12.4% 31.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Bucheon

$271 18.2% 19% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Bucheon

$110 7.4% 30.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bucheon

$77 5.2% 5.2% $3.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Bucheon

$11 * 0.8% 76.7% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $497 in Bucheon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 45% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $68 in Bucheon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $479 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇷 Bucheon

🕒 Local time

03:13 3:13 AM

11:13 11:13 AM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

848,191

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bucheon 9,600 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bucheon

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

Barcelona vs Bucheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,490 in Bucheon, so Bucheon is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $497 in Bucheon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $374 in Bucheon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,490 in Bucheon – Bucheon is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,490 in Bucheon versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucheon but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bucheon 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, Barcelona and Bucheon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bucheon wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.