Moving to Spain from South Korea
What to Expect
Considering a move from South Korea to Spain? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from South Korea to Spain, you would find that Spain is 9.2% more expensive than South Korea overall. A ₩100,000,000 salary in South Korea would need to be roughly €72,700 in Spain to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish.
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A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between South Korea and Spain.
What does your salary buy?
₩100,000,000 → €72,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Spain
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 98.6% more
Groceries
pay 42.1% less
Transportation
pay 13.0% more
Housing
pay 50.8% more
Childcare
pay 37.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.0% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Spain cost about 18% more than cities in South Korea.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from South Korea to Spain.
people moved from South Korea to Spain · OECD (latest data available)
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Spain compared to South Korea.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Spain generally does better on safety, though South Korea leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Spain generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Korea leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Spain performs significantly better than South Korea across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
South Korea generally does better on infrastructure, though Spain leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
South Korea generally does better on employment & economy, though Spain leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
South Korea generally does better on family life, though Spain leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2013–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2016–2019), National Tax Service, South Korea (2016), Agencia Tributaria, Spain (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Seoul | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 43°/28°F (6°/-2°C) | 55°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/56°F (23°/13°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/70°F (28°/21°C) | 86°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/38°F (12°/4°C) | 58°/44°F (14°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Seoul | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.5°C) | 50°/37°F (9.8°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 41°/26°F (5.1°/-3.2°C) | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.7°C) |
| Mar | 52°/35°F (11.0°/1.9°C) | 61°/43°F (16.3°/6.2°C) |
| Apr | 64°/46°F (17.9°/8.0°C) | 65°/46°F (18.2°/7.7°C) |
| May | 74°/56°F (23.6°/13.5°C) | 72°/52°F (22.2°/11.3°C) |
| Jun | 82°/66°F (27.6°/18.7°C) | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 84°/72°F (29.0°/22.3°C) | 90°/66°F (32.1°/19.0°C) |
| Aug | 86°/73°F (30.0°/22.9°C) | 88°/66°F (31.3°/18.8°C) |
| Sep | 79°/64°F (26.2°/17.7°C) | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.4°C) |
| Oct | 68°/51°F (20.2°/10.6°C) | 67°/51°F (19.4°/10.7°C) |
| Nov | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.5°C) | 56°/43°F (13.5°/6.2°C) |
| Dec | 40°/26°F (4.2°/-3.4°C) | 50°/38°F (10.0°/3.6°C) |
Data:
Korea Meteorological Administration,
Agencia Estatal de Meteorología
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between South Korea and Spain. To live, work, or study long-term in Spain, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Spain's immigration authority.
South Korea passport holder visiting Spain
Visa Free
Spain passport holder visiting South Korea
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Spain than South Korea?
On average Spain is around 9% pricier than South Korea, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Spain?
Budget about €18,175 for 3 months in Spain (based on a ₩100,000,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Spain?
Connectivity is usually fine (Spain: 39.2 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Spain offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Spain safe for expats?
Spain generally does better on safety, though South Korea leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Spain is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.5 in South Korea. About 78% of people in Spain feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in Spain compared to South Korea?
Spain generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Korea leads in health coverage index. There are 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Spain, compared to 26.1 in South Korea. Spain scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (South Korea: 89).
What's the weather like in Spain compared to South Korea?
The average high temperature in Madrid is 68°F, compared to 63°F in Seoul. Madrid receives around 16.6 in of rainfall per year, while Seoul gets 55.8 in.
What language do they speak in Spain?
The official languages in Spain are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish. In South Korea, the official language is Korean.
