Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Seoul $3,931

Arklow costs about 46% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arklow and Seoul sit above the global median – Arklow by 94%, Seoul by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.87

$8.80 ₩11.7K

153.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$68.4 ₩91.2K

30.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$7.54 ₩10.1K

49.20%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.67

$4.23 ₩5,644

-2.60%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$1.63 ₩2,175

79.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.74 ₩988

204.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$3.64 ₩4,860

50.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$6.15 ₩8,203

-16.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.01 ₩2,688

-15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$3.13 ₩4,178

-28.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$4.32 ₩5,764

-56.02%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$3.61 ₩4,810

28.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$17.83 ₩23.8K

-20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.71

$10.45 ₩13.9K

26.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$25.80 ₩34.4K

-35.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-57.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$3.38 ₩4,514

-14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.81 ₩7,750

-41.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$6.41 ₩8,549

-26.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$3.75 ₩5,000

-37.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.54 ₩3,387

-27.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.84 ₩3,796

-48.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.11 ₩1,477

93.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.07

$3.35 ₩4,470

506.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$18.49 ₩24.7K

-26.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$2.40 ₩3,196

70.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$3.37 ₩4,495

7.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.14 ₩1,526

110.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.61

$3.49 ₩4,660

48.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.63 ₩843

144.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$8.86 ₩11.8K

275.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.51 ₩2,012

40.40%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$29.3K ₩39.1M

32.51%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$28.2K ₩37.6M

32.24%

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

$240 €213

$218 ₩290.2K

10.29%

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

$22.10 €19.65

$35.15 ₩46.9K

-37.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$21.29 ₩28.4K

159.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.2

$58.1 ₩77.5K

-0.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.5K

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$11.31 ₩15.1K

20.07%

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

$1,066 €948

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-45.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,807

$22.9K ₩30.5M

-76.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$57.0 ₩76.1K

64.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.53

$33.39 ₩44.5K

29.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$71.5 ₩95.4K

48.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$82.5 ₩110.1K

42.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$901 ₩1.2M

73.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,178

$612 ₩816.3K

116.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,541

$2,526 ₩3.4M

13.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,266 ₩1.7M

43.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,325

$3,650 ₩4.9M

33.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

4.08

1.47%

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

Last update for Arklow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 53.8% $713

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 21.7% $85

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 42.6% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 13.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 32.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 4.7% $4

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 155% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow versus $901 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 33% higher in Arklow, 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 $89.0 in Arklow versus $68.0 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $392 in Arklow vs $477 in Seoul – so Arklow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

19:32 7:32 PM

8 h ahead of Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arklow Seoul 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arklow
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

Arklow vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $1,794 in Seoul – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow and $2,692 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 $89.0 in Arklow and $68.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Arklow – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,794, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow 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, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.