Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gwangju and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Gwangju: $1,329 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
Learn more

Gwangju Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,329

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gwangju and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,329 in Gwangju versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Gwangju $1,329
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,038 in Gwangju versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Gwangju $2,038
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,747 in Gwangju versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Gwangju $2,747
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Gwangju costs roughly 40% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gwangju is 2% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.98 ₩8,004

$16.50 €14.73

-63.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.07 ₩45.6K

$61.3 €54.7

-44.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 ₩8,188

$11.27 €10.06

-45.70%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₩4,348

$3.06 €2.73

6.21%

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

$1.60 ₩2,142

$2.26 €2.02

-29.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₩843

$1.73 €1.55

-63.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ₩3,321

$3.39 €3.03

-26.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₩6,051

$3.40 €3.03

32.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₩2,285

$1.12 €1.00

52.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 ₩3,175

$1.86 €1.66

27.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 ₩3,030

$1.53 €1.37

47.71%

Eggs

$2.74 ₩3,665

$3.96 €3.54

-30.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 ₩11.8K

$12.76 €11.39

-30.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 ₩10.7K

$7.90 €7.05

0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 ₩15.1K

$16.97 €15.15

-33.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₩6,903

$2.27 €2.02

126.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 ₩4,066

$1.75 €1.56

73.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,038

$1.85 €1.65

103.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 ₩4,066

$2.57 €2.29

18.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 ₩4,781

$1.86 €1.66

91.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 ₩2,533

$2.02 €1.81

-6.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ₩2,682

$1.44 €1.29

38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₩1,803

$0.82 €0.73

64.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,616

$6.56 €5.86

-47.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 ₩14.9K

$5.62 €5.02

97.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₩1,949

$1.28 €1.14

14.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₩3,045

$2.07 €1.85

9.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ₩1,421

$2.35 €2.10

-54.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 ₩91.3K

$44.18 €39.45

54.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ₩4,253

$3.99 €3.56

-20.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₩827

$1.09 €0.97

-43.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.79 ₩10.4K

$16.64 €14.86

-53.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₩1,628

$2.28 €2.04

-46.49%

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

$28.0K ₩37.5M

$33.7K €30.1K

-16.76%

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

$35.3K ₩47.3M

$39.3K €35.1K

-10.17%

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

$210 ₩281.5K

$167 €150

25.52%

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

$43.76 ₩58.6K

$18.80 €16.78

132.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$33.09 €29.55

-35.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ₩69.2K

$46.01 €41.09

12.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.71 ₩15.7K

$19.19 €17.14

-38.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 ₩15.1K

$9.84 €8.79

14.33%

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

$300 ₩401.8K

$677 €605

-55.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ₩24.0M

$16.9K €15.1K

6.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.74 ₩42.5K

$101 €90.4

-68.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.01 ₩34.8K

$45.76 €40.86

-43.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 ₩85.1K

$100.0 €89.3

-36.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ₩118.7K

$123 €110

-27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₩662.6K

$1,614 €1,441

-69.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ₩486.1K

$1,197 €1,069

-69.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₩1.6M

$2,862 €2,555

-59.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 ₩999.9K

$1,990 €1,777

-62.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,812 ₩10.5M

$7,577 €6,766

3.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,383 ₩8.5M

$4,307 €3,846

48.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,883 ₩3.9M

$1,588 €1,418

81.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

3.85

-6.49%

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

Last update for Gwangju: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gwangju

$363 27.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 230% $834

Groceries & Markets

Gwangju

$308 23.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 12.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gwangju

$275 20.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 20.3% $56

Eating Out

Gwangju

$135 10.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 78.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Gwangju

$94 7.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 76.1% $72

Getting Around

Gwangju

$79 5.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 19.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Gwangju

$74 5.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 11.5% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Gwangju and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gwangju pays 82% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34.00 in Gwangju vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

8 h behind Gwangju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,467,996

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,499 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gwangju Lisbon 10,640 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Gwangju
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gwangju is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. The 67% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 82% 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: $495 in Gwangju versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gwangju – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,329 per month in Gwangju versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,329 in Gwangju versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gwangju but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Gwangju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gwangju is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Gwangju and Lisbon 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 Gwangju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.