Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Iksan

For one person, living is cheaper in Iksan: $1,425 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Iksan
Learn more

Iksan Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Iksan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Iksan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,425 in Iksan.

Barcelona $2,453
Iksan $1,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,209 in Iksan.

Barcelona $3,509
Iksan $2,209

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,994 in Iksan.

Barcelona $4,564
Iksan $2,994

Living in Barcelona is roughly 72% more expensive than in Iksan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Iksan 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$5.97 ₩8,018

194.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$34.23 ₩46.0K

97.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$6.81 ₩9,143

98.68%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.66 ₩4,908

-12.84%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$1.62 ₩2,173

79.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.63 ₩845

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.50 ₩4,700

14.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.37 ₩5,870

3.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.27 ₩3,050

-42.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.18 ₩4,267

-36.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.35 ₩3,153

-21.28%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.26 ₩4,383

48.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$15.98 ₩21.5K

4.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$8.09 ₩10.9K

12.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$11.41 ₩15.3K

72.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$7.69 ₩10.3K

-61.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.22 ₩4,326

-37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$7.48 ₩10.0K

-63.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$6.83 ₩9,168

-59.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.60 ₩4,831

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.42 ₩3,252

-14.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.04 ₩2,737

-28.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.35 ₩1,807

-30.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$3.44 ₩4,621

99.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$18.82 ₩25.3K

-58.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.24 ₩3,008

-37.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.37 ₩4,525

-24.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.11 ₩1,486

182.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.61 ₩4,845

-17.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.66 ₩890

125.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$9.02 ₩12.1K

269.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.34 ₩1,800

34.33%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$29.0K ₩39.0M

14.28%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$36.3K ₩48.7M

-12.62%

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

$180 €162

$211 ₩283.4K

-14.53%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$43.19 ₩58.0K

-67.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$20.62 ₩27.7K

63.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$53.5 ₩71.8K

-3.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$14.03 ₩18.8K

13.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$11.41 ₩15.3K

-3.68%

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

$917 €823

$298 ₩400.5K

207.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$17.7K ₩23.8M

-6.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$65.3 ₩87.7K

33.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$63.5 ₩85.3K

-39.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$75.3 ₩101.1K

40.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$99.0 ₩132.9K

20.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$496 ₩666.6K

242.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$362 ₩485.6K

274.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,153 ₩1.5M

125.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$762 ₩1.0M

170.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$7,047 ₩9.5M

-1.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$5,569 ₩7.5M

-7.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,734 ₩2.3M

27.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.1

-20.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Iksan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Iksan

$362 25.4% 73.3% $994

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Iksan

$417 29.3% 29.5% $95

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Iksan

$147 10.3% 45% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Iksan

$275 19.3% 20.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Iksan

$136 9.6% 13.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Iksan

$76 5.4% 3.8% $2.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Iksan

$11 * 0.8% 76.6% $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 $496 in Iksan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 27% 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 $34 in Iksan. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $417, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇷 Iksan

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

07:10 7:10 AM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

307,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Iksan 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Iksan

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 Iksan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,425 in Iksan, so Iksan is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $496 in Iksan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $298 in Iksan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Iksan – a meal for two runs $34 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. Iksan 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 Iksan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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