Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in South Korea: $1,543 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
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South Korea Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

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🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,543

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: South Korea is 1.1% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 35.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: South Korea is 4.4% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 24.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.67 ₩10.3K

$17.98 €16.05

-57.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.23 ₩60.6K

$67.4 €60.2

-32.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.43 ₩8,617

$13.37 €11.93

-51.91%

Cappuccino

$3.92 ₩5,254

$3.34 €2.98

17.37%

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

$1.64 ₩2,194

$2.95 €2.64

-44.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₩1,115

$1.90 €1.69

-56.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.63 ₩4,863

$3.88 €3.46

-6.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₩6,098

$4.57 €4.08

-0.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ₩2,804

$1.27 €1.13

64.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₩4,051

$1.96 €1.75

54.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,534

$1.75 €1.56

93.14%

Eggs

$3.22 ₩4,311

$4.89 €4.36

-34.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.53 ₩18.1K

$17.47 €15.59

-22.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 ₩11.8K

$9.06 €8.09

-2.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.06 ₩34.9K

$20.18 €18.01

29.14%

Apples (1kg)

$8.59 ₩11.5K

$3.08 €2.75

178.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,535

$2.03 €1.81

66.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.23 ₩8,345

$2.60 €2.32

139.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.09 ₩8,166

$2.71 €2.42

124.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.97 ₩5,319

$2.15 €1.92

84.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 ₩3,645

$2.21 €1.97

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 ₩3,484

$1.54 €1.38

68.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₩1,608

$0.93 €0.83

29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₩4,531

$7.09 €6.32

-52.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.90 ₩21.3K

$7.63 €6.81

108.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₩2,706

$1.49 €1.33

35.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 ₩3,866

$2.73 €2.43

5.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,529

$2.95 €2.63

-61.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.85 ₩62.8K

$25.91 €23.13

80.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 ₩4,599

$3.13 €2.80

9.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩860

$1.45 €1.29

-55.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$34.17 €30.49

-73.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₩1,852

$1.79 €1.60

-22.91%

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

$29.8K ₩39.9M

$34.7K €31.0K

-14.18%

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

$29.9K ₩40.1M

$30.3K €27.0K

-1.29%

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

$206 ₩275.7K

$181 €161

13.87%

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

$39.21 ₩52.5K

$13.56 €12.10

189.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.22 ₩31.1K

$35.12 €31.34

-33.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ₩70.7K

$53.2 €47.44

-0.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.59 ₩22.2K

$16.05 €14.33

3.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 ₩14.7K

$11.37 €10.14

-3.34%

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

$906 ₩1.2M

$939 €838

-3.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₩31.2M

$16.5K €14.7K

41.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ₩76.0K

$88.2 €78.7

-35.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.14 ₩57.8K

$39.77 €35.49

8.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 ₩106.6K

$103 €92.3

-23.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 ₩128.8K

$119 €107

-19.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₩794.3K

$1,695 €1,513

-65.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 ₩566.8K

$1,301 €1,161

-67.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,531 ₩2.1M

$2,576 €2,299

-40.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$922 ₩1.2M

$1,941 €1,732

-52.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.5K ₩22.1M

$7,470 €6,666

120.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,341 ₩11.2M

$5,195 €4,636

60.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,293 ₩3.1M

$2,299 €2,052

-0.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

3.28

28.96%

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

Last update for South Korea: October 4, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

South Korea

$449 28.7%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 27.6% $124

Accommodation & Living

South Korea

$423 27.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 208% $878

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Korea

$268 17.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 14.5% $39

Eating Out

South Korea

$165 10.6%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 65% $107

Clothing & Footwear

South Korea

$124 7.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 27.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

South Korea

$75 4.8%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 1.5% $1.1

Getting Around

South Korea

$58 3.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 17.2% $10

Good to know

🇰🇷 South Korea

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

12:53 12:53 PM

7 h behind South Korea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,466,201

1,660,122

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Korea Barcelona 9,600 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

South Korea
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and Barcelona

EUR, USD to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

South Korea

Barcelona

South Korea

Barcelona

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