Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Daegu and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Daegu: $1,569 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Daegu
Learn more

Daegu Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Daegu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,569

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Daegu 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 Daegu and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,569 in Daegu versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Daegu $1,569
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Daegu versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Daegu $2,402
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,235 in Daegu versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Daegu $3,235
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Daegu costs roughly 35% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Daegu 16% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.29 ₩12.3K

$17.94 €15.96

-48.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.12 ₩49.4K

$68.1 €60.5

-45.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 ₩7,536

$13.28 €11.81

-57.30%

Cappuccino

$3.97 ₩5,284

$3.25 €2.89

22.15%

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

$1.56 ₩2,075

$3.01 €2.67

-48.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₩1,202

$1.87 €1.66

-51.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.82 ₩5,082

$3.85 €3.42

-0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 ₩7,204

$4.48 €3.98

20.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₩3,161

$1.29 €1.15

84.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.49 ₩5,976

$2.04 €1.81

120.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 ₩3,541

$1.72 €1.53

54.65%

Eggs

$2.72 ₩3,619

$4.77 €4.24

-42.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$16.77 €14.92

-38.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.44 ₩9,888

$8.93 €7.94

-16.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.76 ₩27.6K

$19.88 €17.68

4.43%

Apples (1kg)

$6.59 ₩8,762

$2.98 €2.65

121.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ₩3,577

$2.03 €1.80

32.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.72 ₩7,599

$2.73 €2.43

109.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 ₩7,921

$2.68 €2.38

122.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 ₩3,518

$2.10 €1.87

26.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 ₩2,735

$2.08 €1.85

-0.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.35 ₩5,789

$1.45 €1.29

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₩1,825

$0.89 €0.79

53.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₩3,832

$6.94 €6.17

-58.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.91 ₩19.8K

$7.78 €6.92

91.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₩2,848

$1.45 €1.29

47.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ₩3,317

$2.57 €2.29

-3.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,473

$2.99 €2.66

-62.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.4 ₩101.5K

$25.20 €22.41

203.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ₩4,172

$3.12 €2.77

0.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩811

$1.44 €1.28

-57.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 ₩10.7K

$33.50 €29.80

-76.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₩1,775

$1.79 €1.59

-25.70%

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

$28.5K ₩37.9M

$34.6K €30.8K

-17.68%

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

$41.5K ₩55.1M

$30.1K €26.7K

37.87%

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

$280 ₩371.6K

$178 €158

57.15%

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

$50.5 ₩67.1K

$13.32 €11.85

278.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.09 ₩62.6K

$34.88 €31.03

35.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ₩67.8K

$53.3 €47.37

-4.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.89 ₩15.8K

$16.01 €14.24

-25.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 ₩15.0K

$11.06 €9.84

1.81%

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

$531 ₩706.4K

$957 €851

-44.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ₩37.1M

$16.6K €14.7K

68.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 ₩74.8K

$88.2 €78.4

-36.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 ₩66.9K

$39.49 €35.12

27.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ₩127.7K

$103 €91.5

-6.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 ₩218.5K

$121 €108

35.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 ₩542.1K

$1,653 €1,470

-75.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ₩363.6K

$1,302 €1,158

-78.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 ₩1.4M

$2,557 €2,275

-59.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₩806.7K

$1,915 €1,703

-68.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,125 ₩9.5M

$7,286 €6,481

-2.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,559 ₩7.4M

$5,080 €4,519

9.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,478 ₩3.3M

$2,281 €2,029

8.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

3.28

54.57%

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

Last update for Daegu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Daegu

$414 26.4%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 22.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Daegu

$377 24%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 40% $151

Accommodation & Living

Daegu

$273 17.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 376% $1K

Eating Out

Daegu

$179 11.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 51% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Daegu

$165 10.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 4.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Daegu

$87 5.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 45.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Daegu

$73 4.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 2.6% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $408 in Daegu and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Daegu pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37.00 in Daegu vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $414 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Daegu

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

7 h behind Daegu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,528,933

1,660,122

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Daegu Barcelona 9,840 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Daegu
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

Daegu vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Daegu and Barcelona differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,569 vs $2,399 including rent). Daegu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Daegu, 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: $408 in Daegu versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $531 in Daegu versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,569 in Daegu versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Daegu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Daegu 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, Daegu 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.

Expats usually find Daegu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.