Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

For one person, living is cheaper in South Korea: $1,596 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Spain outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
Learn more

Spain Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
Learn more

South Korea Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in South Korea

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

A single person spends $1,775 per month in Spain vs $1,596 in South Korea, rent included.

Spain $1,775
South Korea $1,596

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Spain vs $2,542 in South Korea, rent included.

Spain $2,606
South Korea $2,542

A family of three spends $3,438 per month in Spain vs $3,487 in South Korea, rent included.

Spain $3,438
South Korea $3,487

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($931–$2,610) than in South Korea ($1,044–$1,848), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Spain is about 11% higher than in South Korea on average.

Both Spain and South Korea are pricier than the global median – Spain by 30%, South Korea by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.95

$7.44 ₩9,936

124.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.88

$44.54 ₩59.5K

25.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.18

$6.51 ₩8,694

74.65%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.16

$3.83 ₩5,113

-36.81%

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

$2.68 €2.40

$1.59 ₩2,125

68.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.78 ₩1,039

129.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$3.84 ₩5,122

-10.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.47

$4.42 ₩5,906

-12.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.20 ₩2,937

-45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.96 ₩3,954

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$3.54 ₩4,722

-52.82%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.22 ₩4,296

6.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.69

$13.36 ₩17.8K

6.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.46

$8.89 ₩11.9K

-6.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.51

$26.17 ₩34.9K

-38.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$8.49 ₩11.3K

-71.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$3.39 ₩4,521

-40.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$6.42 ₩8,565

-67.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$5.87 ₩7,840

-56.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$3.89 ₩5,196

-52.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.84 ₩3,796

-29.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.69 ₩3,589

-51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.15 ₩1,542

-33.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.70

$3.42 ₩4,570

85.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.05

$16.56 ₩22.1K

-65.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.17

$2.13 ₩2,837

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.91 ₩3,883

-28.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.10 ₩1,465

49.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.48

$48.35 ₩64.6K

-31.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.96

$3.52 ₩4,694

25.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.65 ₩872

126.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 €22.38

$9.13 ₩12.2K

173.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.38 ₩1,844

28.26%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$30.3K ₩40.4M

17.40%

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

$30.6K €27.4K

$30.0K ₩40.0M

2.07%

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

$149 €134

$210 ₩280.0K

-28.82%

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

$17.67 €15.83

$40.27 ₩53.8K

-56.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.55

$24.18 ₩32.3K

31.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.62

$53.8 ₩71.8K

-17.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.70

$16.81 ₩22.4K

-9.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.65

$11.50 ₩15.4K

-16.00%

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

$544 €487

$985 ₩1.3M

-44.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,499

$23.7K ₩31.6M

-55.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €76.0

$58.9 ₩78.6K

44.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.24

$45.48 ₩60.7K

-18.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.9

$78.3 ₩104.6K

13.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.7

$97.7 ₩130.4K

8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €946

$645 ₩861.1K

63.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €723

$446 ₩595.3K

81.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,452

$1,711 ₩2.3M

-5.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,116

$999 ₩1.3M

24.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,704

$15.8K ₩21.1M

-73.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,358

$8,299 ₩11.1M

-68.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,999 €1,790

$2,345 ₩3.1M

-14.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

4.23

-21.99%

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

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Last update for South Korea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$808 45.5%

South Korea

$446 27.9% 44.8% $362

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.3%

South Korea

$451 28.3% 66% $179

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.5%

South Korea

$163 10.2% 32.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.2%

South Korea

$274 17.2% 37.9% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8%

South Korea

$126 7.9% 11.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.6%

South Korea

$77 4.8% 20.8% $13

Getting Around

Spain

$51 2.9%

South Korea

$60 3.7% 16.2% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $920 in Spain vs $493 in South Korea. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,508 in Madrid and $924 in Seoul.

Average salary: $1,972 in Spain vs $2,148 in South Korea. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 87% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 36% more in Spain.

Public transport is 55% more expensive in South Korea.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇰🇷 South Korea

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

03:09 3:09 AM

8 h ahead of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

51,466,201

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Spain South Korea 10,000 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Spain
South Korea

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

Spain vs South Korea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Korea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 10% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Spain: a central one-bedroom averages $920 versus $493 in South Korea.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in South Korea, but in Spain it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

South Korea is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.