Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gongju and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongju: $1,522 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
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Gongju Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,522

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,522 in Gongju versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Gongju $1,522
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,522 in Gongju versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Gongju $2,522
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,522 in Gongju versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Gongju $3,522
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Gongju costs roughly 38% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gongju 13% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.24 ₩9,708

$17.66 €15.71

-59.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.72 ₩64.0K

$67.5 €60.0

-29.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ₩8,956

$13.61 €12.12

-50.92%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₩4,961

$3.10 €2.76

19.35%

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

$1.80 ₩2,417

$3.00 €2.67

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ₩1,850

$1.93 €1.71

-28.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,898

$3.84 €3.42

-4.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 ₩5,606

$4.36 €3.88

-4.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₩3,132

$1.25 €1.11

87.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₩4,320

$2.12 €1.89

51.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 ₩4,061

$1.97 €1.76

53.81%

Eggs

$2.68 ₩3,590

$4.76 €4.24

-43.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 ₩14.5K

$17.07 €15.19

-36.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$8.96 €7.97

16.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.97 ₩33.5K

$20.65 €18.38

20.92%

Apples (1kg)

$11.02 ₩14.8K

$3.16 €2.81

248.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.65 ₩4,895

$1.97 €1.75

85.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.16 ₩10.9K

$2.65 €2.36

207.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.03 ₩8,082

$2.88 €2.57

109.38%

Potato (1kg)

$5.80 ₩7,773

$2.06 €1.83

181.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₩4,350

$2.18 €1.94

49.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 ₩3,828

$1.53 €1.37

86.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₩1,705

$0.97 €0.86

30.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,575

$6.97 €6.20

-51.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.26 ₩24.5K

$7.89 €7.02

131.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,185

$1.42 €1.26

67.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₩4,827

$2.69 €2.39

33.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 ₩1,605

$3.31 €2.94

-63.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,875

$3.08 €2.74

18.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩895

$1.48 €1.32

-54.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.65 ₩19.6K

$32.87 €29.25

-55.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₩1,868

$1.87 €1.66

-25.67%

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

$39.8K ₩53.3M

$33.0K €29.3K

20.59%

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

$33.7K ₩45.1M

$31.9K €28.4K

5.34%

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

$200 ₩268.6K

$183 €163

9.57%

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

$36.89 ₩49.5K

$14.24 €12.67

159.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.87 ₩36.0K

$34.56 €30.76

-22.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 ₩78.1K

$51.4 €45.76

13.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.41 ₩20.7K

$16.38 €14.58

-5.92%

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 ₩15.8K

$11.06 €9.85

6.42%

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

$636 ₩853.1K

$944 €840

-32.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K ₩28.9M

$22.3K €19.8K

-3.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩140.8K

$87.7 €78.0

19.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 ₩86.4K

$38.77 €34.51

66.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 ₩123.9K

$105 €93.0

-11.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩171.6K

$118 €105

8.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₩567.9K

$1,697 €1,510

-75.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₩459.4K

$1,337 €1,190

-74.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 ₩1.9M

$2,692 €2,396

-47.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 ₩1.3M

$2,077 €1,848

-54.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,877 ₩9.2M

$7,155 €6,367

-3.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,486 ₩7.4M

$5,079 €4,520

8.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,309 ₩1.8M

$2,241 €1,995

-41.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.19

32.29%

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

Last update for Gongju: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gongju

$484 31.8%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 32.3% $156

Accommodation & Living

Gongju

$343 22.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 290% $994

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gongju

$264 17.4%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 12.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Gongju

$175 11.5%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 10.6% $19

Eating Out

Gongju

$162 10.6%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 65% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Gongju

$82 5.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 10.1% $8.3

Getting Around

Gongju

$12 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$49 2% 320% $38

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 $424 in Gongju and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 71% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Gongju vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $484 vs $328, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gongju

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

08:27 8:27 AM

8 h behind Gongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,428

1,660,122

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gongju Barcelona 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Gongju
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

Gongju vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,522 in Gongju and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Gongju is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Gongju. 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: $424 in Gongju versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $636 in Gongju versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gongju – a meal for two runs $48 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,522 in Gongju versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gongju but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Gongju 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, Gongju and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Gongju wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.