Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ongjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongjin: $711 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Ongjin
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Ongjin Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Ongjin

🇰🇵 North Korea

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ongjin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $711 in Ongjin.

Barcelona $2,399
Ongjin $711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,113 in Ongjin.

Barcelona $3,410
Ongjin $1,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,514 in Ongjin.

Barcelona $4,421
Ongjin $1,514

Living in Barcelona is roughly 238% more expensive than in Ongjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Ongjin is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$2.71 $2.71

561.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$22.81 $22.81

198.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$8.04 $8.04

65.17%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$1.13 $1.13

187.61%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.94 $0.94

220.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.99 $0.99

88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$6.89 $6.89

-44.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.17 $2.17

106.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.91 $0.91

41.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.58 $1.58

29.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.16 $2.16

-20.37%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.13 $3.13

52.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$4.47 $4.47

275.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$2.22 $2.22

302.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$5.64 $5.64

252.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$6.77 $6.77

-55.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$4.57 $4.57

-55.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.25 $2.25

21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.21 $2.21

21.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.26 $3.26

-35.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.45 $3.45

-39.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.26 $2.26

-35.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.46 $0.46

93.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$4.41 $4.41

57.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$7.99 $7.99

-2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.10 $1.10

31.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.21 $2.21

16.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.97 $0.97

208.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$39.70 $39.70

-36.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.53 $1.53

103.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.27 $2.27

-36.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$39.99 $39.99

-16.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.70 $0.70

155.71%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$22.1K $22.1K

56.49%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$27.9K $27.9K

7.84%

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

$178 €158

$33.24 $33.24

435.05%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$11.00 $11.00

21.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$45.10 $45.10

-22.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$41.60 $41.60

28.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$14.47 $14.47

10.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$7.63 $7.63

44.95%

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

$957 €851

$107 $107

798.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$2,080 $2,080

696.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$22.73 $22.73

287.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$27.97 $27.97

41.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$60.7 $60.7

69.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$84.6 $84.6

43.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$89.7 $89.7

1741.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$87.9 $87.9

1381.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,189 $2,189

16.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$133 $133

1337.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,663 $1,663

338.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,376 $1,376

269.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$208 $208

997.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

7.11

-53.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ongjin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Ongjin

$88 12.4% 93.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Ongjin

$226 31.8% 29.4% $94

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Ongjin

$106 14.9% 60.8% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Ongjin

$89 12.6% 60.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Ongjin

$88 12.4% 44.3% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Ongjin

$57 8% 24.6% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Ongjin

$56 8% 19% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $89.7 in Ongjin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 997% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $23.00 in Ongjin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $226 per month, with Ongjin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇵 Ongjin

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

17:41 5:41 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

152,878

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Ongjin 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ongjin

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 Ongjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Ongjin differ by about 238% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $711 including rent). Ongjin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 997% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $89.7 in Ongjin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $107 in Ongjin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $711 in Ongjin versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ongjin but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ongjin 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 Ongjin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ongjin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 238% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.