Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Seongnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,405 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Seongnam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,405 in Seongnam.

Austin, TX $2,663
Seongnam $1,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,330 in Seongnam.

Austin, TX $4,133
Seongnam $2,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,255 in Seongnam.

Austin, TX $5,603
Seongnam $3,255

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 90% more expensive than in Seongnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Seongnam 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.61 ₩8,787

214.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$40.26 ₩53.5K

110.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.67 ₩8,870

84.71%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.16 ₩5,528

35.34%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.59 ₩2,120

133.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.82 ₩1,093

204.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.56 ₩4,727

126.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.81 ₩5,065

136.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.26 ₩3,005

-50.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.08 ₩4,098

21.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.59 ₩4,779

-9.19%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.61 ₩4,804

15.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.24 ₩12.3K

39.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.73 ₩10.3K

83.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$21.02 ₩27.9K

-22.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$7.75 ₩10.3K

-44.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.42 ₩4,552

-57.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$5.87 ₩7,808

-23.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$6.99 ₩9,288

-37.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.60 ₩4,793

-28.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.52 ₩3,354

-6.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.80 ₩3,725

-36.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.33 ₩1,766

66.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.45 ₩4,584

186.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$18.42 ₩24.5K

-18.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.09 ₩2,776

39.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.82 ₩2,422

90.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.03 ₩1,368

44.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.64 ₩4,841

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.66 ₩876

151.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.86 ₩11.8K

298.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.36 ₩1,811

-30.15%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$29.3K ₩39.0M

23.00%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$28.4K ₩37.8M

-4.68%

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

$229 $229

$207 ₩275.9K

10.36%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$36.39 ₩48.4K

63.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.67 ₩27.5K

238.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$51.6 ₩68.6K

10.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.09 ₩16.1K

35.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.99 ₩14.6K

29.94%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$532 ₩707.0K

183.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.7K ₩23.5M

21.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$57.6 ₩76.6K

-8.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$32.21 ₩42.8K

36.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$69.7 ₩92.6K

21.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$81.8 ₩108.8K

25.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$478 ₩635.4K

299.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$366 ₩486.9K

247.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,168 ₩1.6M

213.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,035 ₩1.4M

145.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$7,163 ₩9.5M

6.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$5,429 ₩7.2M

-41.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.08

66.42%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Seongnam

$366 26.1% 71.3% $908

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Seongnam

$423 30.1% 4.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Seongnam

$265 18.8% 26.2% $94

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Seongnam

$158 11.2% 55.4% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Seongnam

$109 7.7% 15.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Seongnam

$74 5.2% 14.2% $12

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8% 81.2% $48

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $478 in Seongnam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $40.00 in Seongnam. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $423, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

04:54 4:54 AM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

967,510

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

KRW to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Seongnam 11,160 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Seongnam

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

Austin, TX vs Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seongnam wins on cost – living expenses run 90% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Seongnam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,108 in Seongnam to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $478 in Seongnam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $532 in Seongnam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Seongnam – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,405 in Seongnam versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seongnam but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Seongnam 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, Austin, TX and Seongnam 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 Seongnam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.