Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Gwangju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gwangju: $1,341 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
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Gwangju Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Gwangju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,341 in Gwangju.

Barcelona $2,453
Gwangju $1,341

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,048 in Gwangju.

Barcelona $3,509
Gwangju $2,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,756 in Gwangju.

Barcelona $4,564
Gwangju $2,756

Living in Barcelona is roughly 83% more expensive than in Gwangju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Gwangju is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$6.02 ₩8,080

192.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$34.32 ₩46.1K

96.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$5.82 ₩7,817

132.47%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.17 ₩4,258

0.63%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$1.59 ₩2,141

83.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.63 ₩848

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$2.38 ₩3,197

68.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.59 ₩6,170

-1.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.72 ₩2,312

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.49 ₩3,348

-18.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.29 ₩3,075

-19.21%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.64 ₩3,541

82.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$8.80 ₩11.8K

90.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$7.82 ₩10.5K

16.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$11.15 ₩15.0K

76.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$5.16 ₩6,934

-42.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.02 ₩4,050

-33.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$3.72 ₩5,000

-27.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.09 ₩4,144

-9.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.60 ₩4,835

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.89 ₩2,541

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.11 ₩2,838

-30.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.28 ₩1,725

-26.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$3.36 ₩4,515

104.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$11.19 ₩15.0K

-29.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.51 ₩2,031

-6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.31 ₩3,100

9.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.01 ₩1,351

210.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$68.8 ₩92.4K

-63.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.06 ₩4,102

-2.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.64 ₩854

132.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$7.84 ₩10.5K

325.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.20 ₩1,617

50.00%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$28.1K ₩37.7M

18.26%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$35.2K ₩47.3M

-10.00%

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

$180 €162

$212 ₩284.5K

-14.84%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$44.13 ₩59.3K

-68.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$20.64 ₩27.7K

63.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$55.4 ₩74.3K

-6.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$14.36 ₩19.3K

11.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$11.20 ₩15.0K

-1.87%

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

$917 €823

$299 ₩401.2K

206.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$17.5K ₩23.5M

-5.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$32.50 ₩43.6K

167.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$26.36 ₩35.4K

46.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$63.9 ₩85.8K

65.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$89.9 ₩120.7K

33.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$508 ₩682.6K

234.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$370 ₩496.4K

266.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,163 ₩1.6M

123.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$744 ₩998.6K

177.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$7,980 ₩10.7M

-13.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$6,343 ₩8.5M

-19.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$2,834 ₩3.8M

-21.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.6

-8.89%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gwangju: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Gwangju

$370 27.6% 72.7% $986

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Gwangju

$308 23% 4.3% $14

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Gwangju

$134 10% 50.1% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Gwangju

$277 20.6% 21.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Gwangju

$96 7.1% 39.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Gwangju

$78 5.8% 5.8% $4.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Gwangju

$79 5.9% 63.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $508 in Gwangju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gwangju pays 28% 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 $34 in Gwangju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $308 per month, with Gwangju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

04:58 4:58 AM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,467,996

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Gwangju 9,810 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Gwangju

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 Gwangju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,341 in Gwangju, so Gwangju is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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 $508 in Gwangju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $299 in Gwangju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,341 in Gwangju versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gwangju but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Gwangju 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 Gwangju are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.