Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeju and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeju: $1,107 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Jeju
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Jeju Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Jeju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,107

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,107 in Jeju versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Jeju $1,107
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,900 in Jeju versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Jeju $1,900
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,694 in Jeju versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Jeju $2,694
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Jeju costs roughly 54% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jeju is 18% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.40 ₩9,835

$17.94 €15.96

-58.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.2 ₩70.7K

$68.1 €60.5

-21.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 ₩7,233

$13.28 €11.81

-59.04%

Cappuccino

$5.75 ₩7,640

$3.25 €2.89

76.92%

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

$2.21 ₩2,945

$3.01 €2.67

-26.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₩2,575

$1.87 €1.66

3.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$3.85 €3.42

-10.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ₩4,050

$4.48 €3.98

-31.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩2,998

$1.29 €1.15

75.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 ₩3,060

$2.04 €1.81

12.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 ₩2,941

$1.72 €1.53

28.49%

Eggs

$2.59 ₩3,444

$4.77 €4.24

-45.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 ₩2,867

$2.03 €1.80

6.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 ₩4,047

$2.10 €1.87

44.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ₩2,454

$2.08 €1.85

-11.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 ₩2,908

$1.45 €1.29

51.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₩620

$0.89 €0.79

-47.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 ₩14.9K

$7.78 €6.92

44.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₩2,490

$1.45 €1.29

28.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₩2,200

$2.57 €2.29

-35.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₩1,370

$2.99 €2.66

-65.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₩1,762

$1.79 €1.59

-25.70%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

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

$30.1K €26.7K

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

$216 ₩287.8K

$178 €158

21.72%

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

$53.7 ₩71.4K

$13.32 €11.85

303.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.50 ₩25.9K

$34.88 €31.03

-44.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

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

$957 €851

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K ₩33.6M

$16.6K €14.7K

52.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 ₩68.6K

$88.2 €78.4

-41.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.38 ₩40.4K

$39.49 €35.12

-23.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.5 ₩88.5K

$103 €91.5

-35.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 ₩119.2K

$121 €108

-26.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 ₩614.5K

$1,653 €1,470

-72.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 ₩506.9K

$1,302 €1,158

-70.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 ₩1.8M

$2,557 €2,275

-46.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 ₩1.6M

$1,915 €1,703

-38.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.3K ₩13.8M

$7,286 €6,481

42.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,733 ₩9.0M

$5,080 €4,519

32.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,856 ₩2.5M

$2,281 €2,029

-18.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Jeju: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeju

$381 34.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 241% $920

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeju

$290 26.2%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 22% $64

Eating Out

Jeju

$184 16.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 46.5% $86

Groceries & Markets

Jeju

$140 * 12.7%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 129% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Jeju

$107 9.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 47.8% $51

Getting Around

Jeju

$4.1 * 0.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 1052% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Jeju

- * 0%

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

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 $462 in Jeju and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 23% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $53.0 in Jeju vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $140 vs $320 per month, with Jeju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Jeju

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

22:49 10:49 PM

7 h behind Jeju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,279

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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jeju Barcelona 9,930 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Jeju
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

Jeju vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeju and Barcelona differ by about 117% in total monthly costs ($1,107 vs $2,399 including rent). Jeju is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Barcelona. 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: $462 in Jeju versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Jeju – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,107 per month in Jeju versus $2,399 in Barcelona – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,107 in Jeju versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jeju but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Jeju 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, Jeju 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 Jeju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.