Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto and Pohang

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.

93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
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Pohang Living Index

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Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,905

/mo nomad

Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Porto and in Pohang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Porto and in Pohang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Porto $1,905
Pohang $1,362

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

Porto $2,836
Pohang $1,682

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

Porto $3,766
Pohang $2,002

Living in Porto is roughly 40% more expensive than in Pohang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.28 €11.81

$5.91 ₩7,857

124.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.26

$22.55 ₩30.0K

145.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.03

$6.52 ₩8,675

73.01%

Cappuccino

$2.71 €2.41

$3.02 ₩4,012

-10.26%

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

$2.32 €2.06

$1.48 ₩1,967

56.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.53 ₩710

156.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.64 ₩4,836

-5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 €3.98

$3.81 ₩5,062

17.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.36 ₩3,142

-51.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$3.25 ₩4,319

-48.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.46 ₩1,940

-2.05%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.73 ₩3,634

50.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 €10.51

$10.95 ₩14.6K

7.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 €6.19

$10.36 ₩13.8K

-32.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.26 €14.46

$24.86 ₩33.1K

-34.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.20 ₩2,929

-0.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$3.61 ₩4,798

-55.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-76.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.92 ₩3,879

-14.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$5.00 ₩6,653

-64.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$3.41 ₩4,532

-47.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.27 ₩3,015

-26.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$1.34 ₩1,785

-41.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.52 €5.80

$3.31 ₩4,407

96.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$6.49 ₩8,631

-13.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.53 ₩2,031

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$3.49 ₩4,638

-24.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 €1.43

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.43 €40.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.56

$3.30 ₩4,388

21.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 €0.72

$0.58 ₩766

37.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.50 €14.68

$16.64 ₩22.1K

-0.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.24 ₩1,647

73.39%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$29.5K ₩39.2M

11.80%

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

$34.7K €30.8K

$28.4K ₩37.8M

22.12%

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

$161 €144

$102 ₩136.1K

57.66%

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

$14.94 €13.29

$36.26 ₩48.2K

-58.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.70 €32.64

$26.84 ₩35.7K

36.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 €40.17

$30.38 ₩40.4K

48.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.23 €13.55

$7.43 ₩9,884

104.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 €8.18

$11.38 ₩15.1K

-19.16%

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

$566 €504

$637 ₩847.5K

-11.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,161

$21.8K ₩29.0M

-52.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.5

$105 ₩139.2K

-2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 €29.48

$64.3 ₩85.5K

-48.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €82.0

$92.5 ₩122.9K

-0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.9

$111 ₩147.9K

-8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 €1,137

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 €844

$447 ₩594.3K

112.38%

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)

$3,771 €3,354

$2,990 ₩4.0M

26.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,578 €1,404

$2,240 ₩3.0M

-29.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

4.22

-13.03%

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

Last update for Porto: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pohang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto

$949 49.8%

Pohang

$447 32.8% 52.9% $502

Groceries & Markets

Porto

$258 13.5%

Pohang

$386 28.3% 49.5% $128

Eating Out

Porto

$213 11.2%

Pohang

$137 10.1% 35.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto

$213 11.2%

Pohang

$165 12.2% 22.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Porto

$148 7.8%

Pohang

$168 12.3% 13.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Porto

$64 3.3%

Pohang

$53 3.9% 16.4% $10

Getting Around

Porto

$60 3.1%

Pohang

$6.2 * 0.5% 89.7% $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: $55.0 in Porto vs $23.00 in Pohang. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $386, with Porto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Porto

🇰🇷 Pohang

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

13:16 1:16 PM

8 h ahead of Porto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,828

514,869

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Porto Pohang 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto
Pohang

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

Porto vs Pohang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Pohang. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $566 in Porto versus $637 in Pohang. 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 $55.0 in Porto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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.

Safety-wise, Porto and Pohang 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 40% less than in Porto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.