Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Pangyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Pangyo: $1,460 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Pangyo
Learn more

Pangyo Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Pangyo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,460

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Pangyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,460 in Pangyo.

Barcelona $2,405
Pangyo $1,460

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $2,303 in Pangyo.

Barcelona $3,477
Pangyo $2,303

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $3,145 in Pangyo.

Barcelona $4,550
Pangyo $3,145

Living in Barcelona is roughly 65% more expensive than in Pangyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Pangyo 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$7.17 ₩9,612

150.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$30.05 ₩40.3K

124.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$6.54 ₩8,768

104.43%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$4.03 ₩5,394

-17.12%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$1.51 ₩2,023

95.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.71 ₩953

167.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$2.96 ₩3,973

31.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$3.98 ₩5,335

14.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.30 ₩3,084

-44.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$3.19 ₩4,274

-38.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.74 ₩3,674

-36.13%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$2.69 ₩3,607

81.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$10.88 ₩14.6K

60.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$7.91 ₩10.6K

14.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$21.43 ₩28.7K

-5.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$7.68 ₩10.3K

-59.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.62 ₩4,847

-43.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$7.50 ₩10.1K

-65.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$6.11 ₩8,182

-55.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$3.62 ₩4,848

-40.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.68 ₩3,587

-17.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$2.78 ₩3,732

-44.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.28 ₩1,715

-27.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$3.45 ₩4,624

105.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$18.84 ₩25.3K

-59.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.29 ₩3,071

-34.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.46 ₩4,639

-21.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.10 ₩1,476

168.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$47.53 ₩63.7K

-45.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$3.36 ₩4,504

-6.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.66 ₩882

119.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$13.05 ₩17.5K

161.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.41 ₩1,887

26.95%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$30.8K ₩41.2M

12.78%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$38.4K ₩51.4M

-21.09%

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

$181 €161

$199 ₩266.8K

-9.26%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$36.74 ₩49.2K

-63.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$22.15 ₩29.7K

58.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$51.2 ₩68.6K

3.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$11.91 ₩16.0K

34.76%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$11.13 ₩14.9K

2.16%

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

$939 €838

$526 ₩704.4K

78.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$21.7K ₩29.0M

-23.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$65.7 ₩88.0K

34.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$64.1 ₩85.9K

-37.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$74.5 ₩99.8K

38.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$101 ₩135.3K

18.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$478 ₩641.1K

254.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$361 ₩483.8K

260.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$1,182 ₩1.6M

117.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$735 ₩985.5K

163.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$7,053 ₩9.5M

5.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$5,546 ₩7.4M

-6.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$5,262 ₩7.1M

-56.30%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Pangyo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Pangyo

$361 24.4% 72.2% $940

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Pangyo

$433 29.3% 33.1% $108

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Pangyo

$157 10.6% 42.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Pangyo

$258 17.5% 12.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Pangyo

$137 9.3% 13% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Pangyo

$73 5% 3.2% $2.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Pangyo

$59 4% 21.8% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $478 in Pangyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pangyo pays 129% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $30.00 in Pangyo. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $433, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇷 Pangyo

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

16:21 4:21 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.46 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Pangyo 9,620 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Pangyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Pangyo differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,460 including rent). Pangyo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 129% lower in Pangyo. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $478 in Pangyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $526 in Pangyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 33% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,460 in Pangyo versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pangyo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Pangyo 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 Pangyo 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 Pangyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.