Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Pohang

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohang: $1,365 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
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Pohang Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Pohang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,365 in Pohang.

Barcelona $2,453
Pohang $1,365

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,214 in Pohang.

Barcelona $3,509
Pohang $2,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,063 in Pohang.

Barcelona $4,564
Pohang $3,063

Living in Barcelona is roughly 80% more expensive than in Pohang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$6.08 ₩8,121

189.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$22.35 ₩29.8K

201.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$6.45 ₩8,615

109.77%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.09 ₩4,120

3.24%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.47 ₩1,969

97.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.50 ₩667

278.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.67 ₩4,903

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.82 ₩5,097

18.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.30 ₩3,065

-43.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.17 ₩4,235

-36.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.53 ₩2,044

20.92%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.76 ₩3,679

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$11.07 ₩14.8K

51.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.61 ₩14.2K

-14.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$24.68 ₩33.0K

-20.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.20 ₩2,944

35.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.60 ₩4,808

-43.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$7.98 ₩10.7K

-66.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.11 ₩4,147

-9.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$5.13 ₩6,842

-59.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.43 ₩4,577

-39.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.22 ₩2,964

-34.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.33 ₩1,777

-29.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$3.43 ₩4,579

100.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$6.90 ₩9,218

14.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.52 ₩2,034

-7.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.44 ₩4,597

-26.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.18 ₩1,581

166.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.42 ₩4,565

-12.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.63 ₩839

136.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$16.86 ₩22.5K

97.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.30 ₩1,734

38.46%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$29.5K ₩39.4M

12.59%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$29.4K ₩39.3M

7.69%

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

$180 €162

$101 ₩135.1K

78.31%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$37.06 ₩49.5K

-62.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$27.13 ₩36.2K

24.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$29.93 ₩40.0K

72.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$14.02 ₩18.7K

13.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.14 ₩14.9K

-1.35%

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

$917 €821

$635 ₩848.0K

44.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$22.0K ₩29.3M

-24.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$104 ₩139.4K

-16.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$66.8 ₩89.2K

-42.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$92.8 ₩123.9K

13.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$113 ₩150.4K

6.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$484 ₩646.7K

250.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$440 ₩587.2K

208.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,256 ₩1.7M

107.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,032 ₩1.4M

99.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$8,173 ₩10.9M

-15.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$5,538 ₩7.4M

-7.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$2,203 ₩2.9M

0.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.22

-22.27%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pohang: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Pohang

$440 32.2% 67.5% $915

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Pohang

$388 28.4% 20.4% $66

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Pohang

$139 10.2% 48.1% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Pohang

$165 12.1% 27.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Pohang

$170 12.4% 7.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Pohang

$52 3.8% 29% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Pohang

$11 * 0.8% 76.7% $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 $484 in Pohang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $22 in Pohang. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $388, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇰🇷 Pohang

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

17:01 5:01 PM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

514,869

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,490 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Pohang 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Pohang

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 Pohang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,365 in Pohang, so Pohang is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,047 in Pohang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $484 in Pohang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $635 in Pohang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pohang – a meal for two runs $22 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. Pohang 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 Pohang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.