Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aachen and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $1,970 in Aachen, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,970

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aachen and in Seoul

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

A single person spends $1,970 per month in Aachen vs $1,804 in Seoul, rent included.

Aachen $1,970
Seoul $1,804

A couple spends around $2,925 per month in Aachen vs $2,877 in Seoul, rent included.

Aachen $2,925
Seoul $2,877

A family of three spends $3,880 per month in Aachen vs $3,950 in Seoul, rent included.

Aachen $3,880
Seoul $3,950

Aachen costs about 9% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aachen and Seoul sit above the global median – Aachen by 45%, Seoul by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.93 €14.17

$9.10 ₩12.1K

75.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$66.7 ₩88.6K

-8.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.11

$7.49 ₩9,959

51.67%

Cappuccino

$3.79 €3.37

$4.19 ₩5,569

-9.55%

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

$2.84 €2.52

$1.55 ₩2,067

83.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 €2.73

$0.79 ₩1,055

288.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.16 €4.59

$3.64 ₩4,846

41.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.92

$6.14 ₩8,164

-9.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$2.11 ₩2,811

-41.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 €1.69

$3.05 ₩4,051

-37.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 €3.21

$4.21 ₩5,599

-14.25%

Eggs

$3.60 €3.20

$3.54 ₩4,709

1.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.69 €13.07

$18.02 ₩24.0K

-18.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 €9.96

$10.35 ₩13.8K

8.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.26 €18.91

$26.47 ₩35.2K

-19.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-57.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €2.04

$3.44 ₩4,578

-33.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$5.64 ₩7,493

-61.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 €2.93

$6.41 ₩8,517

-48.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.71 ₩4,938

-58.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.52 ₩3,345

-40.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.87 ₩3,816

-48.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.16 ₩1,536

3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.99 €8.88

$3.37 ₩4,480

196.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.69 €5.95

$18.72 ₩24.9K

-64.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$2.28 ₩3,036

-49.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.40

$3.31 ₩4,397

-52.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 €3.48

$1.13 ₩1,497

246.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.7 €63.8

$46.73 ₩62.1K

53.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 €4.83

$3.52 ₩4,684

54.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.55 €2.27

$0.64 ₩849

298.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.75 €33.58

$8.76 ₩11.7K

330.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.45 ₩1,930

59.31%

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

$33.1K €29.4K

$29.7K ₩39.4M

11.59%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

36.76%

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

$386 €343

$211 ₩280.4K

82.98%

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

$16.86 €15.00

$35.36 ₩47.0K

-52.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.23 €42.01

$20.57 ₩27.4K

129.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.99 €33.79

$57.7 ₩76.7K

-34.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.03 €24.93

$16.20 ₩21.5K

73.02%

Cinema Ticket

$15.56 €13.84

$11.37 ₩15.1K

36.85%

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

$732 €652

$1,967 ₩2.6M

-62.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K €17.5K

$22.8K ₩30.3M

-13.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 €84.5

$57.5 ₩76.4K

65.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.30 €37.63

$33.08 ₩44.0K

27.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 €74.2

$70.1 ₩93.2K

19.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$84.3 ₩112.0K

57.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 €723

$878 ₩1.2M

-7.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 €524

$624 ₩829.7K

-5.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 €1,338

$2,513 ₩3.3M

-40.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €938

$1,287 ₩1.7M

-18.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,479 €3,984

$30.4K ₩40.4M

-85.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,440 €3,059

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-71.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,609 €3,211

$3,599 ₩4.8M

0.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.08

-2.94%

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

Last update for Aachen: October 18, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aachen

$589 29.9%

Seoul

$624 34.6% 5.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aachen

$450 22.8%

Seoul

$267 14.8% 40.7% $183

Groceries & Markets

Aachen

$330 16.7%

Seoul

$480 26.6% 45.4% $150

Eating Out

Aachen

$268 13.6%

Seoul

$185 10.3% 30.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Aachen

$159 8.1%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 30.6% $49

Getting Around

Aachen

$106 5.4%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 45.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Aachen

$69 3.5%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 16.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $813 in Aachen versus $878 in Seoul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 0% higher in Aachen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen versus $67.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $480 – making Aachen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Aachen

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

19:17 7:17 PM

7 h ahead of Aachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,683

9,509,458 Capital

💱 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

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Aachen Seoul 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Aachen
Seoul

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

Aachen vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,970 in Aachen, $1,804 in Seoul – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,955 per month in Aachen and $2,707 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen and $67.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,970 in Aachen and $1,804 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 9%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,804, than in Aachen at $1,970. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aachen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aachen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.