Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohang and Porto

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohang: $1,362 a month against $1,905 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Porto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Pohang
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,362
/mo nomad
Porto
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,905
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pohang and in Porto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,362 in Pohang versus $1,905 in Porto.

  • Pohang $1,362
  • Porto $1,905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,682 in Pohang versus $2,836 in Porto.

  • Pohang $1,682
  • Porto $2,836

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,002 in Pohang versus $3,766 in Porto.

  • Pohang $2,002
  • Porto $3,766

Living in Pohang costs roughly 29% less than in Porto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pohang 1% above, Porto 41% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pohang
Porto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.91 ₩7,857
$13.28 €11.81
-55.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.55 ₩30.0K
$55.4 €49.26
-59.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.52 ₩8,675
$11.28 €10.03
-42.20%
Cappuccino
$3.02 ₩4,012
$2.71 €2.41
11.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 ₩1,967
$2.32 €2.06
-36.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₩710
$1.36 €1.21
-61.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.64 ₩4,836
$3.44 €3.06
5.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.81 ₩5,062
$4.47 €3.98
-14.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pohang
Porto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.36 ₩3,142
$1.14 €1.01
107.02%
White Bread (500g)
$3.25 ₩4,319
$1.69 €1.50
92.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.46 ₩1,940
$1.43 €1.28
2.10%
Eggs
$2.73 ₩3,634
$4.12 €3.66
-33.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.95 ₩14.6K
$11.82 €10.51
-7.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.36 ₩13.8K
$6.96 €6.19
48.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$24.86 ₩33.1K
$16.26 €14.46
52.89%
Apples (1kg)
$2.20 ₩2,929
$2.19 €1.95
0.46%
Banana (1kg)
$3.61 ₩4,798
$1.60 €1.43
125.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.91 ₩10.5K
$1.82 €1.62
334.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.92 ₩3,879
$2.50 €2.22
16.80%
Potato (1kg)
$5.00 ₩6,653
$1.79 €1.59
179.33%
Onion (1kg)
$3.41 ₩4,532
$1.79 €1.59
90.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 ₩3,015
$1.66 €1.48
36.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 ₩1,785
$0.78 €0.70
71.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.31 ₩4,407
$6.52 €5.80
-49.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.49 ₩8,631
$5.64 €5.01
15.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 ₩2,031
$1.34 €1.19
14.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 ₩4,638
$2.62 €2.33
33.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Pohang
Porto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.60 €1.43
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$45.43 €40.41
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 ₩4,388
$4.00 €3.56
-17.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.58 ₩766
$0.80 €0.72
-27.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 ₩22.1K
$16.50 €14.68
0.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ₩1,647
$2.15 €1.91
-42.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.5K ₩39.2M
$33.0K €29.3K
-10.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K ₩37.8M
$34.7K €30.8K
-18.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pohang
Porto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 ₩136.1K
$161 €144
-36.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.26 ₩48.2K
$14.94 €13.29
142.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.84 ₩35.7K
$36.70 €32.64
-26.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pohang
Porto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.38 ₩40.4K
$45.16 €40.17
-32.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.43 ₩9,884
$15.23 €13.55
-51.21%
Cinema Ticket
$11.38 ₩15.1K
$9.20 €8.18
23.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pohang
Porto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$637 ₩847.5K
$566 €504
12.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.8K ₩29.0M
$10.3K €9,161
111.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pohang
Porto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$105 ₩139.2K
$102 €90.5
2.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.3 ₩85.5K
$33.14 €29.48
94.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.5 ₩122.9K
$92.2 €82.0
0.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 ₩147.9K
$102 €90.9
8.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pohang
Porto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,279 €1,137
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$447 ₩594.3K
$949 €844
-52.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,224 €1,978
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,626 €1,446
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$5,124 €4,558
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,990 ₩4.0M
$3,771 €3,354
-20.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pohang
Porto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,240 ₩3.0M
$1,578 €1,404
41.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
3.67
14.99%

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

Last update for Pohang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Porto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Pohang
$447
Porto
$949 112% $502
Groceries & Markets
Pohang
$386
Porto
$258 33.1% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Pohang
$168
Porto
$148 11.6% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pohang
$165
Porto
$213 28.8% $48
Eating Out
Pohang
$137
Porto
$213 55.9% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Pohang
$53
Porto
$64 19.6% $10
Getting Around
Pohang
$6.2 *
Porto
$60 869% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

Pohang pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Pohang vs $55.0 in Porto. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $258, with Porto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Pohang
🇵🇹 Porto
🕒 Local time
10:03 10:03 AM
02:03 2:03 AM
8 h behind Pohang
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
514,869
231,828
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Pohang Porto 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Pohang
  • Porto

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 Porto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Pohang or Porto?
Pohang wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Porto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pohang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Pohang or in Porto?
Average pay runs 42% higher in Pohang, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do childcare costs compare in Pohang and in Porto?
Childcare runs $637 in Pohang versus $566 in Porto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Pohang and in Porto?
Dining out is cheaper in Pohang – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $55.0 in Porto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Pohang or in Porto?
At $1,362 in Pohang versus $1,905 in Porto, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pohang but tight or insufficient in Porto. The gap between the two cities makes Pohang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Pohang or Porto?
Both work as nomad bases, but Pohang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,362 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pohang hard to pass up.
How safe is Pohang compared to Porto?
Safety-wise, Pohang and Porto are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Pohang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Porto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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