Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Daegu and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Daegu: $1,569 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Daegu
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Daegu Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Daegu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,569

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Daegu and in Madrid

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

A single person spends $1,569 per month in Daegu vs $2,265 in Madrid, rent included.

Daegu $1,569
Madrid $2,265

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Daegu vs $3,296 in Madrid, rent included.

Daegu $2,402
Madrid $3,296

A family of three spends $3,235 per month in Daegu vs $4,328 in Madrid, rent included.

Daegu $3,235
Madrid $4,328

Daegu is about 31% cheaper than Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Daegu and Madrid sit above the global median – Daegu by 16%, Madrid by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.29 ₩12.3K

$18.20 €16.19

-48.96%

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

$11.24 €9.99

-49.56%

Cappuccino

$3.97 ₩5,284

$3.15 €2.80

26.03%

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

$1.56 ₩2,075

$3.36 €2.99

-53.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₩1,202

$2.36 €2.10

-61.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.82 ₩5,082

$3.83 €3.40

-0.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 ₩7,204

$4.92 €4.38

10.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₩3,161

$1.32 €1.17

80.30%

White Bread (500g)

$4.49 ₩5,976

$1.61 €1.43

178.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 ₩3,541

$1.65 €1.47

61.21%

Eggs

$2.72 ₩3,619

$4.07 €3.62

-33.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$15.82 €14.07

-34.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.44 ₩9,888

$9.49 €8.44

-21.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.76 ₩27.6K

$17.52 €15.59

18.49%

Apples (1kg)

$6.59 ₩8,762

$2.56 €2.27

157.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ₩3,577

$2.09 €1.86

28.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.72 ₩7,599

$2.47 €2.19

131.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 ₩7,921

$2.49 €2.22

139.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 ₩3,518

$2.26 €2.01

17.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 ₩2,735

$2.15 €1.91

-4.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.35 ₩5,789

$1.57 €1.40

177.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₩1,825

$1.07 €0.95

28.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₩3,832

$6.55 €5.82

-56.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.91 ₩19.8K

$7.65 €6.81

94.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₩2,848

$1.17 €1.04

82.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ₩3,317

$2.22 €1.97

12.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,473

$1.63 €1.45

-31.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.4 ₩101.5K

$36.42 €32.39

109.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ₩4,172

$3.73 €3.32

-15.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩811

$1.54 €1.37

-60.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 ₩10.7K

$29.17 €25.95

-72.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₩1,775

$1.78 €1.58

-25.28%

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

$28.5K ₩37.9M

$35.5K €31.6K

-19.65%

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

$41.5K ₩55.1M

$33.2K €29.6K

24.76%

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

$280 ₩371.6K

$189 €168

47.97%

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

$50.5 ₩67.1K

$17.48 €15.55

188.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.09 ₩62.6K

$34.32 €30.53

37.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ₩67.8K

$48.62 €43.25

4.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.89 ₩15.8K

$18.44 €16.40

-35.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 ₩15.0K

$11.04 €9.82

1.99%

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

$531 ₩706.4K

$693 €617

-23.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ₩37.1M

$17.8K €15.8K

57.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 ₩74.8K

$84.6 €75.3

-33.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 ₩66.9K

$42.50 €37.80

18.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ₩127.7K

$110 €98.1

-12.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 ₩218.5K

$112 €99.9

46.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 ₩542.1K

$1,506 €1,339

-72.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ₩363.6K

$1,170 €1,041

-76.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 ₩1.4M

$2,756 €2,451

-62.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₩806.7K

$1,845 €1,641

-67.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,125 ₩9.5M

$9,168 €8,155

-22.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,559 ₩7.4M

$4,234 €3,766

31.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,478 ₩3.3M

$2,483 €2,209

-0.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

3.14

61.46%

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

Last update for Daegu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Daegu

$414 26.4%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 26.8% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Daegu

$377 24%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 36.2% $136

Accommodation & Living

Daegu

$273 17.4%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 328% $896

Eating Out

Daegu

$179 11.4%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 50.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Daegu

$165 10.5%

Madrid

$157 7% 4.7% $7.8

Getting Around

Daegu

$87 5.5%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 37.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Daegu

$73 4.7%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 3.8% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $408 in Daegu versus $1,506 in Madrid. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 0% higher in Madrid, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Daegu versus $68.0 in Madrid. Groceries tell a different story – $414 in Daegu vs $303 in Madrid – so Madrid wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Daegu

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

12:22 12:22 PM

7 h behind Daegu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,528,933

3,332,035 Capital

💱 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

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Between locations

Daegu Madrid 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Daegu
Madrid

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 Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,569 in Daegu, $2,265 in Madrid – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,353 per month in Daegu and $3,398 in Madrid. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Daegu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Daegu and $68.0 in Madrid. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,569 in Daegu and $2,265 in Madrid. That's a gap of about 44%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Daegu, where all-in costs run around $1,569, than in Madrid at $2,265. In Daegu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madrid it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Madrid has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,569 in Daegu to $2,265 in Madrid. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Daegu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Madrid makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.