Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,409 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
Learn more

Cheongju Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Cheongju

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 Cheongju actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,409 in Cheongju.

Barcelona $2,453
Cheongju $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,329 in Cheongju.

Barcelona $3,509
Cheongju $2,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,249 in Cheongju.

Barcelona $4,564
Cheongju $3,249

Living in Barcelona is roughly 74% more expensive than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Cheongju 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$7.47 ₩9,963

135.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$48.95 ₩65.3K

37.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$5.88 ₩7,844

130.10%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.66 ₩4,875

-12.84%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.84 ₩2,458

58.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.40 ₩1,861

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.65 ₩4,872

9.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.33 ₩5,776

4.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.25 ₩3,005

-41.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.25 ₩4,340

-37.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.05 ₩4,074

-39.34%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.73 ₩3,647

76.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$11.16 ₩14.9K

50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.65 ₩14.2K

-14.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$24.55 ₩32.7K

-20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$11.40 ₩15.2K

-73.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.59 ₩4,786

-43.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$8.30 ₩11.1K

-67.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$5.85 ₩7,801

-52.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$5.84 ₩7,788

-64.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.43 ₩4,570

-39.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.87 ₩3,828

-49.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.33 ₩1,767

-29.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$3.45 ₩4,595

99.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$18.71 ₩25.0K

-57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.46 ₩3,280

-42.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.40 ₩4,541

-25.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.15 ₩1,527

173.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.50 ₩4,669

-14.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.76 ₩1,014

96.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$16.67 ₩22.2K

100.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.36 ₩1,811

32.35%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$39.0K ₩52.1M

-14.97%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.7K ₩45.0M

-6.04%

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

$180 €162

$205 ₩273.1K

-11.90%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$24.30 ₩32.4K

-43.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$27.72 ₩37.0K

21.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$53.6 ₩71.4K

-3.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$13.97 ₩18.6K

14.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.81 ₩15.7K

-6.94%

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

$917 €821

$651 ₩867.5K

40.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$21.8K ₩29.1M

-24.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$36.84 ₩49.1K

136.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$65.4 ₩87.1K

-41.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$93.9 ₩125.2K

12.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$113 ₩151.0K

5.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$342 ₩456.6K

396.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$275 ₩367.1K

392.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,197 ₩1.6M

117.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$760 ₩1.0M

171.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$7,228 ₩9.6M

-4.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$5,619 ₩7.5M

-8.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,613 ₩3.5M

-15.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.22

-22.27%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Cheongju

$275 19.5% 79.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Cheongju

$488 34.6% 51.6% $166

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Cheongju

$161 11.4% 39.8% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Cheongju

$257 18.2% 12.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Cheongju

$139 9.9% 11.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 5% $3.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 75.5% $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 $342 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $49 in Cheongju. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $488, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

14:22 2:22 PM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

835,669

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Cheongju 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Cheongju

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 Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,409 in Cheongju, so Cheongju is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $342 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $651 in Cheongju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cheongju – a meal for two runs $49 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cheongju is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Cheongju are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.