Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheongju and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,409 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cheongju and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cheongju and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,409 in Cheongju versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Cheongju $1,409
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,329 in Cheongju versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Cheongju $2,329
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Cheongju versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Cheongju $3,249
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Cheongju costs roughly 43% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheongju 4% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ₩9,913

$17.59 €15.80

-57.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.95 ₩64.9K

$67.5 €60.6

-27.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 ₩7,805

$13.53 €12.15

-56.54%

Cappuccino

$3.66 ₩4,851

$3.19 €2.87

14.73%

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

$1.84 ₩2,446

$2.91 €2.62

-36.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₩1,852

$1.89 €1.70

-25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,848

$4.01 €3.60

-8.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₩5,747

$4.53 €4.07

-4.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₩2,990

$1.31 €1.17

71.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,319

$2.02 €1.81

60.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 ₩4,054

$1.85 €1.66

64.86%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,629

$4.83 €4.34

-43.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 ₩14.8K

$16.74 €15.04

-33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 ₩14.1K

$9.12 €8.19

16.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.55 ₩32.6K

$19.64 €17.64

25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$11.40 ₩15.1K

$2.98 €2.68

282.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,762

$2.02 €1.81

77.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.30 ₩11.0K

$2.70 €2.43

207.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 ₩7,762

$2.80 €2.52

108.93%

Potato (1kg)

$5.84 ₩7,749

$2.09 €1.87

179.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.43 ₩4,548

$2.07 €1.86

65.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,808

$1.46 €1.31

96.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,758

$0.94 €0.84

41.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,572

$6.87 €6.17

-49.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.71 ₩24.8K

$7.89 €7.09

137.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₩3,263

$1.41 €1.26

74.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 ₩4,518

$2.54 €2.28

33.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,519

$3.14 €2.82

-63.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 ₩4,646

$2.99 €2.69

17.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₩1,009

$1.49 €1.34

-48.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.67 ₩22.1K

$33.37 €29.99

-50.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,802

$1.80 €1.62

-24.44%

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

$39.0K ₩51.8M

$33.2K €29.8K

17.61%

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

$33.7K ₩44.8M

$31.7K €28.5K

6.42%

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

$205 ₩271.7K

$180 €162

13.51%

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

$24.30 ₩32.2K

$13.84 €12.43

75.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.72 ₩36.8K

$33.70 €30.28

-17.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 ₩71.1K

$51.5 €46.28

4.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.97 ₩18.5K

$15.96 €14.34

-12.47%

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 ₩15.7K

$10.99 €9.88

7.46%

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

$651 ₩863.1K

$917 €824

-29.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.0M

$16.5K €14.8K

32.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.84 ₩48.9K

$87.0 €78.2

-57.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 ₩86.7K

$38.51 €34.60

69.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ₩124.5K

$106 €95.1

-11.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩150.3K

$120 €108

-5.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ₩454.3K

$1,699 €1,527

-79.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₩365.3K

$1,355 €1,218

-79.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 ₩1.6M

$2,603 €2,339

-54.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₩1.0M

$2,062 €1,853

-63.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,228 ₩9.6M

$6,915 €6,213

4.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,619 ₩7.5M

$5,128 €4,607

9.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,613 ₩3.5M

$2,211 €1,986

18.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.28

28.66%

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

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cheongju

$488 34.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 34% $166

Accommodation & Living

Cheongju

$275 19.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 392% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheongju

$257 18.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 11.2% $29

Eating Out

Cheongju

$161 11.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 66.2% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Cheongju

$139 9.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 13.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cheongju

$77 5.5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 4.8% $3.7

Getting Around

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 308% $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 $342 in Cheongju and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49 in Cheongju vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $488 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

14:04 2:04 PM

8 h behind Cheongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

835,669

1,660,122

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

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

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cheongju Barcelona 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheongju
Barcelona

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

Cheongju vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju and Barcelona differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($1,409 vs $2,453 including rent). Cheongju is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Cheongju, 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: $342 in Cheongju versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $651 in Cheongju versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cheongju – a meal for two runs $49 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. Cheongju 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, Cheongju and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.