Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koriyama and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,187 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Koriyama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,187
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,187 in Koriyama versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

  • Koriyama $1,187
  • Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,881 in Koriyama versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

  • Koriyama $1,881
  • Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,575 in Koriyama versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

  • Koriyama $2,575
  • Barcelona $4,431

Living in Koriyama costs roughly 50% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koriyama is 12% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Koriyama
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.12 ¥967
$17.89 €15.92
-65.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.16 ¥4,923
$66.2 €58.9
-52.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.13 ¥810
$13.69 €12.18
-62.53%
Cappuccino
$2.96 ¥468
$3.06 €2.72
-3.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 ¥195
$3.07 €2.73
-59.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 ¥124
$1.94 €1.73
-59.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 ¥426
$3.87 €3.44
-30.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 ¥501
$4.61 €4.10
-31.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Koriyama
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 ¥230
$1.30 €1.16
12.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 ¥246
$2.10 €1.87
-25.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.20 ¥664
$1.83 €1.62
129.51%
Eggs
$2.01 ¥317
$4.62 €4.11
-56.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.18 ¥1,609
$17.36 €15.44
-41.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.65 ¥1,051
$9.28 €8.25
-28.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.68 ¥2,635
$19.83 €17.64
-15.89%
Apples (1kg)
$3.65 ¥576
$3.01 €2.68
21.26%
Banana (1kg)
$2.27 ¥358
$2.03 €1.81
11.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.89 ¥457
$2.65 €2.36
9.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.07 ¥643
$2.87 €2.55
41.81%
Potato (1kg)
$2.47 ¥390
$2.16 €1.92
14.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.55 ¥402
$2.15 €1.91
18.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 ¥204
$1.47 €1.31
-12.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ¥133
$0.88 €0.79
-4.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.85 ¥608
$6.93 €6.16
-44.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.80 ¥1,074
$7.83 €6.96
-13.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 ¥293
$1.39 €1.24
33.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 ¥333
$2.63 €2.34
-19.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Koriyama
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 ¥241
$2.91 €2.59
-47.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.0 ¥8,380
$25.46 €22.64
108.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 ¥508
$3.00 €2.66
7.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.87 ¥453
$1.44 €1.28
99.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.64 ¥2,945
$33.20 €29.53
-43.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ¥174
$1.86 €1.65
-40.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.9K ¥3.3M
$32.3K €28.8K
-35.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.2K ¥2.4M
$31.7K €28.2K
-51.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koriyama
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 ¥21.2K
$183 €163
-26.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.63 ¥3,890
$13.61 €12.11
80.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.55 ¥4,984
$32.93 €29.29
-4.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Koriyama
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.2 ¥8,243
$54.7 €48.65
-4.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$16.52 €14.70
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.02 ¥1,899
$11.23 €9.99
7.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Koriyama
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$523 ¥82.7K
$954 €849
-45.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.6K ¥2.0M
$16.6K €14.8K
-23.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Koriyama
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.37 ¥7,799
$86.0 €76.5
-42.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.64 ¥4,999
$39.11 €34.78
-19.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.0 ¥9,639
$104 €92.2
-41.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.4 ¥13.8K
$119 €106
-26.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Koriyama
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$542 ¥85.6K
$1,695 €1,508
-68.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$325 ¥51.4K
$1,276 €1,135
-74.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,102 ¥174.1K
$2,576 €2,291
-57.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$739 ¥116.8K
$1,922 €1,710
-61.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,230 ¥668.2K
$7,281 €6,477
-41.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,778 ¥280.8K
$5,010 €4,456
-64.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Koriyama
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,227 €1,981
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.21
3.28
-32.62%

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

Last update for Koriyama: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Koriyama
$325
Barcelona
$1.3K 293% $951
Groceries & Markets
Koriyama
$287
Barcelona
$325 13.1% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koriyama
$191
Barcelona
$229 20.3% $39
Eating Out
Koriyama
$128
Barcelona
$270 111% $142
Clothing & Footwear
Koriyama
$103
Barcelona
$156 51.4% $53
Getting Around
Koriyama
$77
Barcelona
$47 38.3% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Koriyama
$76
Barcelona
$77 1.2% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Koriyama and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Koriyama vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $325 per month, with Koriyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Koriyama
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
21:32 9:32 PM
14:32 2:32 PM
7 h behind Koriyama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
327,692
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Koriyama Barcelona 10,280 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Koriyama
  • 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
Koriyama vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Koriyama and in Barcelona?
Koriyama and Barcelona differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($1,187 vs $2,381 including rent). Koriyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Koriyama compared to Barcelona?
You'd need roughly $1,781 in Koriyama and $3,571 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Koriyama and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $542 in Koriyama versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Koriyama and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $523 in Koriyama versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,187 in Koriyama versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Koriyama and Barcelona?
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.
Is Koriyama or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Koriyama 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.
Where should expats move: Koriyama or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Koriyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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