Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Daejeon

For one person, living is cheaper in Daejeon: $1,365 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Daejeon
Learn more

Daejeon Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Daejeon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Daejeon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,365 in Daejeon.

Barcelona $2,453
Daejeon $1,365

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,140 in Daejeon.

Barcelona $3,509
Daejeon $2,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,915 in Daejeon.

Barcelona $4,564
Daejeon $2,915

Living in Barcelona is roughly 80% more expensive than in Daejeon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$7.62 ₩10.2K

130.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$37.50 ₩50.0K

79.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$5.66 ₩7,554

139.05%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.75 ₩5,001

-14.93%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.22 ₩1,624

138.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.69 ₩920

173.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.69 ₩4,926

8.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.82 ₩5,094

18.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.11 ₩2,809

-37.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.80 ₩3,739

-27.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.68 ₩3,573

-30.97%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.62 ₩3,491

84.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$11.27 ₩15.0K

48.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.29 ₩11.1K

10.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$20.93 ₩27.9K

-6.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$11.19 ₩14.9K

-73.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$5.54 ₩7,393

-63.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$5.82 ₩7,761

-53.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$6.06 ₩8,079

-53.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$5.21 ₩6,947

-59.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.87 ₩3,826

-27.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.72 ₩2,296

-15.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.09 ₩1,449

-13.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$3.50 ₩4,668

96.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$18.83 ₩25.1K

-58.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.66 ₩3,548

-46.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.45 ₩4,601

-26.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.15 ₩1,529

173.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$11.53 ₩15.4K

120.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.29 ₩4,382

-9.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.73 ₩975

104.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$16.77 ₩22.4K

98.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.24 ₩1,649

45.16%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$29.0K ₩38.7M

14.52%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$23.4K ₩31.2M

35.49%

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

$180 €162

$173 ₩230.6K

4.31%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$43.00 ₩57.3K

-67.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$22.62 ₩30.2K

48.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$33.83 ₩45.1K

52.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.39 ₩15.2K

-3.51%

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

$917 €821

$302 ₩402.7K

203.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$21.9K ₩29.2M

-24.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$65.3 ₩87.1K

33.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$40.89 ₩54.5K

-5.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$93.9 ₩125.2K

12.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$107 ₩142.6K

11.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$371 ₩495.3K

357.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$301 ₩401.8K

349.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,041 ₩1.4M

150.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$612 ₩815.6K

237.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,603 ₩7.5M

23.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$4,492 ₩6.0M

14.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,366 ₩3.2M

-6.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.65

-10.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Daejeon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Daejeon

$301 22.1% 77.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Daejeon

$450 33% 39.9% $128

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Daejeon

$157 11.5% 41.5% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Daejeon

$239 17.5% 4.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Daejeon

$138 10.1% 12.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Daejeon

$57 4.2% 23% $17

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Daejeon

$23 1.7% 52.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $371 in Daejeon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Daejeon pays 7% 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 $37 in Daejeon. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $450, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇷 Daejeon

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

16:02 4:02 PM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,537,324

💱 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 Daejeon 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Daejeon

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 Daejeon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,365 in Daejeon, so Daejeon is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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 $371 in Daejeon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $302 in Daejeon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Daejeon 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 Daejeon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.