Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Gimcheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Gimcheon: $1,412 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Gimcheon
Learn more

Gimcheon Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Gimcheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Gimcheon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,412 in Gimcheon.

Barcelona $2,443
Gimcheon $1,412

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,305 in Gimcheon.

Barcelona $3,519
Gimcheon $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,198 in Gimcheon.

Barcelona $4,595
Gimcheon $3,198

Living in Barcelona is roughly 73% more expensive than in Gimcheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Gimcheon 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.72

$5.83 ₩7,916

202.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$34.57 ₩46.9K

95.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$6.87 ₩9,316

98.11%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$3.61 ₩4,903

-14.13%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$1.60 ₩2,169

87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.62 ₩838

211.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$3.42 ₩4,634

12.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$4.50 ₩6,109

-3.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.18 ₩2,963

-42.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.18 ₩4,319

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.67 ₩3,619

-26.22%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$3.18 ₩4,319

49.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$15.50 ₩21.0K

10.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$10.43 ₩14.2K

-14.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$11.37 ₩15.4K

81.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$6.92 ₩9,385

-54.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.50 ₩3,392

-21.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.54 ₩6,156

-41.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$6.76 ₩9,175

-57.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.39 ₩4,596

-39.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.58 ₩3,507

-15.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.09 ₩2,835

-26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.27 ₩1,728

-23.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$3.44 ₩4,665

102.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$13.44 ₩18.2K

-41.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.23 ₩3,031

-36.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.03 ₩5,470

-33.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$1.12 ₩1,523

195.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.89 ₩3,923

6.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.61 ₩829

142.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.27

$8.22 ₩11.2K

299.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.08 ₩1,466

73.15%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$29.8K ₩40.5M

10.52%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$36.0K ₩48.8M

-11.25%

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

$183 €163

$212 ₩288.2K

-13.90%

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

$14.24 €12.68

$42.61 ₩57.8K

-66.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.78

$20.97 ₩28.5K

64.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.79

$51.1 ₩69.3K

0.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.59

$15.58 ₩21.1K

5.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$10.99 ₩14.9K

0.64%

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

$944 €840

$305 ₩413.9K

209.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$17.6K ₩23.8M

26.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$66.3 ₩89.9K

32.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.52

$63.1 ₩85.6K

-38.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$73.5 ₩99.8K

42.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$99.5 ₩134.9K

18.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,511

$491 ₩666.9K

245.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$375 ₩508.3K

256.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,397

$1,323 ₩1.8M

103.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,849

$1,018 ₩1.4M

104.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,371

$7,220 ₩9.8M

-0.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,522

$4,886 ₩6.6M

3.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,996

$1,875 ₩2.5M

19.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.1

-22.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gimcheon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Gimcheon

$375 26.5% 72% $962

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Gimcheon

$396 28.1% 21% $69

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Gimcheon

$146 10.3% 45.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Gimcheon

$276 19.5% 19.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Gimcheon

$136 9.6% 13.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Gimcheon

$73 5.2% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Gimcheon

$10 * 0.7% 78.9% $39

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 $1,697 in Barcelona and $491 in Gimcheon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 20% 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 $35 in Gimcheon. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $396, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇷 Gimcheon

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

143,056

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,357 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD). 1 EUR = 1,523 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.56 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Gimcheon 9,790 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Gimcheon

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 Gimcheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,412 in Gimcheon, so Gimcheon is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $491 in Gimcheon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $305 in Gimcheon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gimcheon – a meal for two runs $35 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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