Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gwangju and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Gwangju: $1,341 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
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Gwangju Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,341

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,341 in Gwangju versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Gwangju $1,341
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,048 in Gwangju versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Gwangju $2,048
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,756 in Gwangju versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Gwangju $2,756
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Gwangju costs roughly 45% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gwangju is 2% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.02 ₩8,080

$17.59 €15.80

-65.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.32 ₩46.1K

$67.5 €60.6

-49.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 ₩7,817

$13.53 €12.15

-56.98%

Cappuccino

$3.17 ₩4,258

$3.19 €2.87

-0.63%

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

$1.59 ₩2,141

$2.91 €2.62

-45.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₩848

$1.89 €1.70

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 ₩3,197

$4.01 €3.60

-40.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 ₩6,170

$4.53 €4.07

1.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ₩2,312

$1.31 €1.17

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 ₩3,348

$2.02 €1.81

23.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 ₩3,075

$1.85 €1.66

23.78%

Eggs

$2.64 ₩3,541

$4.83 €4.34

-45.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$16.74 €15.03

-47.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.82 ₩10.5K

$9.12 €8.19

-14.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ₩15.0K

$19.64 €17.64

-43.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ₩6,934

$2.98 €2.68

73.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 ₩4,050

$2.02 €1.81

49.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 ₩5,000

$2.70 €2.43

37.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 ₩4,144

$2.80 €2.52

10.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,835

$2.09 €1.87

72.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 ₩2,541

$2.07 €1.86

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 ₩2,838

$1.46 €1.31

44.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,725

$0.94 €0.84

36.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 ₩4,515

$6.87 €6.17

-51.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 ₩15.0K

$7.89 €7.08

41.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₩2,031

$1.41 €1.26

7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₩3,100

$2.54 €2.28

-9.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ₩1,351

$3.14 €2.82

-67.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 ₩92.4K

$25.45 €22.86

170.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 ₩4,102

$2.99 €2.69

2.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩854

$1.49 €1.34

-57.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 ₩10.5K

$33.37 €29.98

-76.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ₩1,617

$1.80 €1.61

-33.33%

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

$28.1K ₩37.7M

$33.2K €29.8K

-15.44%

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

$35.2K ₩47.3M

$31.7K €28.5K

11.11%

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

$212 ₩284.5K

$180 €162

17.43%

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

$44.13 ₩59.3K

$13.84 €12.43

218.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.64 ₩27.7K

$33.70 €30.27

-38.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 ₩74.3K

$51.5 €46.27

7.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.36 ₩19.3K

$15.96 €14.34

-10.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 ₩15.0K

$10.99 €9.88

1.91%

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

$299 ₩401.2K

$917 €823

-67.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ₩23.5M

$16.5K €14.8K

6.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.50 ₩43.6K

$87.0 €78.2

-62.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.36 ₩35.4K

$38.51 €34.59

-31.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.9 ₩85.8K

$106 €95.1

-39.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 ₩120.7K

$120 €108

-24.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 ₩682.6K

$1,699 €1,527

-70.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ₩496.4K

$1,355 €1,217

-72.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 ₩1.6M

$2,603 €2,338

-55.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 ₩998.6K

$2,062 €1,853

-63.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,980 ₩10.7M

$6,915 €6,211

15.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,343 ₩8.5M

$5,128 €4,606

23.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,834 ₩3.8M

$2,211 €1,986

28.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

3.28

9.76%

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

Last update for Gwangju: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gwangju

$370 27.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 267% $986

Groceries & Markets

Gwangju

$308 23%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 4.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gwangju

$277 20.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 17.6% $49

Eating Out

Gwangju

$134 10%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 100% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Gwangju

$96 7.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 65.1% $62

Getting Around

Gwangju

$79 5.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 38.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Gwangju

$78 5.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 5.5% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Gwangju and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gwangju pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34 in Gwangju vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $322 per month, with Gwangju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

19:04 7:04 PM

8 h behind Gwangju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,467,996

1,660,122

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 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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Between locations

Gwangju Barcelona 9,810 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Gwangju
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

Gwangju vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gwangju and Barcelona differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($1,341 vs $2,453 including rent). Gwangju is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% higher in Gwangju, 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: $508 in Gwangju versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $299 in Gwangju versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,341 in Gwangju versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gwangju but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Gwangju 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, Gwangju 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.