Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulsan and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulsan: $1,339 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
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Ulsan Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,339 in Ulsan versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Ulsan $1,339
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,185 in Ulsan versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Ulsan $2,185
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,030 in Ulsan versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Ulsan $3,030
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Ulsan costs roughly 44% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ulsan is 1% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 ₩10.1K

$17.94 €15.96

-57.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.63 ₩59.3K

$68.1 €60.5

-34.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ₩7,882

$13.28 €11.81

-55.35%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₩4,410

$3.25 €2.89

2.15%

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

$0.88 ₩1,175

$3.01 €2.67

-70.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₩619

$1.87 €1.66

-74.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₩4,006

$3.85 €3.42

-21.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₩5,826

$4.48 €3.98

-2.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,139

$1.29 €1.15

82.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,315

$2.04 €1.81

59.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ₩4,207

$1.72 €1.53

83.72%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$4.77 €4.24

-42.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.5K

$16.77 €14.92

-35.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.1K

$8.93 €7.94

19.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.54 ₩32.6K

$19.88 €17.68

23.44%

Apples (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$2.98 €2.65

282.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.74 ₩4,975

$2.03 €1.80

84.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.09 ₩10.8K

$2.73 €2.43

196.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.05 ₩8,048

$2.68 €2.38

125.75%

Potato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩7,992

$2.10 €1.87

186.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,328

$2.08 €1.85

56.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 ₩3,844

$1.45 €1.29

99.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,707

$0.89 €0.79

43.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₩4,154

$6.94 €6.17

-55.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.52 ₩24.6K

$7.78 €6.92

138.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₩3,264

$1.45 €1.29

68.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ₩4,577

$2.57 €2.29

33.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,511

$2.99 €2.66

-61.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 ₩3,849

$3.12 €2.77

-7.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,040

$1.44 €1.28

-45.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 ₩22.6K

$33.50 €29.80

-49.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,899

$1.79 €1.59

-20.11%

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

$30.0K ₩39.9M

$34.6K €30.8K

-13.33%

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

$34.1K ₩45.4M

$30.1K €26.7K

13.52%

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

$197 ₩261.8K

$178 €158

10.71%

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

$37.06 ₩49.3K

$13.32 €11.85

178.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩36.2K

$34.88 €31.03

-21.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ₩80.3K

$53.3 €47.37

13.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$11.06 €9.84

-6.87%

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

$263 ₩349.3K

$957 €851

-72.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$16.6K €14.7K

32.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₩68.5K

$88.2 €78.4

-41.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 ₩60.6K

$39.49 €35.12

15.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ₩81.2K

$103 €91.5

-40.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ₩99.7K

$121 €108

-38.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₩495.3K

$1,653 €1,470

-77.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ₩324.7K

$1,302 €1,158

-81.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$2,557 €2,275

-70.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₩861.8K

$1,915 €1,703

-66.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,483 ₩6.0M

$7,286 €6,481

-38.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,479 ₩3.3M

$5,080 €4,519

-51.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,331 ₩3.1M

$2,281 €2,029

2.23%

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 Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ulsan

$489 36.5%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 34.5% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulsan

$261 19.5%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 13.4% $35

Accommodation & Living

Ulsan

$244 18.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 433% $1.1K

Eating Out

Ulsan

$148 11%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 82.7% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Ulsan

$105 7.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 51% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Ulsan

$81 6.1%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 7% $5.7

Getting Around

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 318% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $373 in Ulsan and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulsan pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Ulsan vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $489 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

22:30 10:30 PM

7 h behind Ulsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,129,827

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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Highest

Between locations

Ulsan Barcelona 9,910 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulsan
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

Ulsan vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulsan and Barcelona differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,339 vs $2,399 including rent). Ulsan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Ulsan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $373 in Ulsan versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $263 in Ulsan 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 Ulsan – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,339 in Ulsan versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ulsan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ulsan 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, Ulsan 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 Ulsan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.