Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohang and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohang: $1,362 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
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Pohang Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,362 in Pohang versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Pohang $1,362
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,682 in Pohang versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Pohang $1,682
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,002 in Pohang versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Pohang $2,002
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Pohang costs roughly 43% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pohang 1% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.91 ₩7,857

$17.94 €15.96

-67.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.55 ₩30.0K

$68.1 €60.5

-66.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 ₩8,675

$13.28 €11.81

-50.90%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$3.25 €2.89

-7.08%

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

$1.48 ₩1,967

$3.01 €2.67

-50.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₩710

$1.87 €1.66

-71.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,836

$3.85 €3.42

-5.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,062

$4.48 €3.98

-14.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,142

$1.29 €1.15

82.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,319

$2.04 €1.81

59.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 ₩1,940

$1.72 €1.53

-15.12%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$4.77 €4.24

-42.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₩14.6K

$16.77 €14.92

-34.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₩13.8K

$8.93 €7.94

16.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.86 ₩33.1K

$19.88 €17.68

25.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₩2,929

$2.98 €2.65

-26.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.61 ₩4,798

$2.03 €1.80

77.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.73 €2.43

189.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 ₩3,879

$2.68 €2.38

8.96%

Potato (1kg)

$5.00 ₩6,653

$2.10 €1.87

138.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 ₩4,532

$2.08 €1.85

63.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 ₩3,015

$1.45 €1.29

56.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,785

$0.89 €0.79

50.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,407

$6.94 €6.17

-52.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₩8,631

$7.78 €6.92

-16.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₩2,031

$1.45 €1.29

5.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₩4,638

$2.57 €2.29

35.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ₩4,388

$3.12 €2.77

5.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₩766

$1.44 €1.28

-59.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 ₩22.1K

$33.50 €29.80

-50.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,647

$1.79 €1.59

-30.73%

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

$29.5K ₩39.2M

$34.6K €30.8K

-14.88%

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

$28.4K ₩37.8M

$30.1K €26.7K

-5.56%

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

$102 ₩136.1K

$178 €158

-42.45%

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

$36.26 ₩48.2K

$13.32 €11.85

172.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.84 ₩35.7K

$34.88 €31.03

-23.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.38 ₩40.4K

$53.3 €47.37

-42.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ₩9,884

$16.01 €14.24

-53.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.1K

$11.06 €9.84

2.89%

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

$637 ₩847.5K

$957 €851

-33.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.0M

$16.6K €14.7K

31.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩139.2K

$88.2 €78.4

18.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 ₩85.5K

$39.49 €35.12

62.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 ₩122.9K

$103 €91.5

-10.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₩147.9K

$121 €108

-8.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₩594.3K

$1,302 €1,158

-65.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,990 ₩4.0M

$5,080 €4,519

-41.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,240 ₩3.0M

$2,281 €2,029

-1.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.28

28.66%

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

Last update for Pohang: 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

Pohang

$447 32.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 191% $855

Groceries & Markets

Pohang

$386 28.3%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 17% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Pohang

$168 12.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 5.6% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohang

$165 12.2%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 36.6% $61

Eating Out

Pohang

$137 10.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 97.2% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Pohang

$53 3.9%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 41.8% $22

Getting Around

Pohang

$6.2 * 0.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 668% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Barcelona pays 2% 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: $23.00 in Pohang vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pohang

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

05:25 5:25 AM

7 h behind Pohang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

514,869

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pohang Barcelona 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohang
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

Pohang vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pohang and Barcelona differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($1,362 vs $2,399 including rent). Pohang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2% 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.

Childcare runs $637 in Pohang versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pohang – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,362 in Pohang versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pohang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Pohang 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, Pohang 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 Pohang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.