Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Gongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongju: $1,522 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
Learn more

Gongju Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Gongju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,522 in Gongju.

Barcelona $2,443
Gongju $1,522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,522 in Gongju.

Barcelona $3,519
Gongju $2,522

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,522 in Gongju.

Barcelona $4,595
Gongju $3,522

Living in Barcelona is roughly 61% more expensive than in Gongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Gongju 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.79

$7.24 ₩9,742

143.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$47.72 ₩64.2K

41.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.17

$6.68 ₩8,987

103.74%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$3.70 ₩4,979

-16.22%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$1.80 ₩2,425

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.38 ₩1,856

39.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$3.65 ₩4,915

5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$4.18 ₩5,626

4.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.34 ₩3,143

-46.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$3.22 ₩4,335

-34.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.03 ₩4,075

-34.98%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$2.68 ₩3,602

77.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.26

$10.83 ₩14.6K

57.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$10.45 ₩14.1K

-14.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.46

$24.97 ₩33.6K

-17.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$11.02 ₩14.8K

-71.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.65 ₩4,912

-46.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$8.16 ₩11.0K

-67.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$6.03 ₩8,110

-52.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$5.80 ₩7,800

-64.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$3.25 ₩4,365

-32.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.86 ₩3,842

-46.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.27 ₩1,711

-23.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$3.41 ₩4,591

104.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.05

$18.26 ₩24.6K

-56.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.38 ₩3,196

-40.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.60 ₩4,844

-25.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$1.20 ₩1,611

175.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.90

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$3.64 ₩4,892

-15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$0.67 ₩898

120.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.40

$14.65 ₩19.7K

124.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.39 ₩1,875

34.53%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$39.8K ₩53.5M

-17.08%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$33.7K ₩45.3M

-5.07%

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

$183 €164

$200 ₩269.5K

-8.73%

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

$14.24 €12.73

$36.89 ₩49.6K

-61.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.91

$26.87 ₩36.1K

28.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.98

$58.3 ₩78.4K

-11.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.65

$15.41 ₩20.7K

6.29%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.89

$11.77 ₩15.8K

-6.03%

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

$944 €844

$636 ₩856.1K

48.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$21.6K ₩29.0M

3.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.4

$105 ₩141.3K

-16.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.67

$64.5 ₩86.7K

-39.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

$92.4 ₩124.3K

13.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$128 ₩172.2K

-8.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,517

$424 ₩569.9K

300.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,195

$343 ₩461.1K

290.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,407

$1,406 ₩1.9M

91.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,857

$936 ₩1.3M

121.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,398

$6,877 ₩9.3M

4.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,542

$5,486 ₩7.4M

-7.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,004

$1,309 ₩1.8M

71.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.22

-24.41%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gongju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Gongju

$343 22.5% 74.4% $994

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Gongju

$484 31.8% 47.7% $156

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Gongju

$162 10.6% 39.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Gongju

$264 17.4% 14% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Gongju

$175 11.5% 11.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Gongju

$82 5.4% 11.2% $8.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Gongju

$12 * 0.8% 76.2% $38

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 $424 in Gongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 71% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $48 in Gongju. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $484, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇷 Gongju

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

11:37 11:37 AM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

110,428

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.43 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 1,504 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Gongju 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Gongju

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 Gongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,522 in Gongju, so Gongju is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 71% 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 $424 in Gongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $636 in Gongju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gongju – a meal for two runs $48 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,522 in Gongju versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gongju but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Gongju 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 Gongju are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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