Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,822 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Austin, TX $2,704
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Austin, TX $4,133
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Austin, TX $5,562
Seoul $3,872

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 48% more expensive than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Seoul 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$9.10 ₩12.2K

122.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$67.0 ₩90.0K

26.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.42 ₩9,964

66.44%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.08 ₩5,482

34.07%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.60 ₩2,146

138.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.80 ₩1,081

212.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.65 ₩4,898

120.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.94 ₩7,974

51.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.05 ₩2,748

-44.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.08 ₩4,139

22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$4.21 ₩5,659

-22.80%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.57 ₩4,795

15.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-27.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$10.64 ₩14.3K

34.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$26.44 ₩35.5K

-39.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$7.42 ₩9,969

-40.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$3.53 ₩4,743

-58.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$5.87 ₩7,884

-22.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$6.37 ₩8,554

-34.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.75 ₩5,040

-29.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.49 ₩3,345

-5.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.92 ₩3,920

-39.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.15 ₩1,545

87.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.29 ₩4,418

198.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.28 ₩3,064

21.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.28 ₩4,408

6.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.14 ₩1,529

30.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$45.47 ₩61.1K

-10.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.48 ₩4,674

-23.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.60 ₩805

163.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.70 ₩11.7K

305.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.50 ₩2,008

-34.00%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$29.1K ₩39.1M

22.97%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$28.2K ₩37.9M

-3.61%

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

$219 $219

$209 ₩280.5K

4.98%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$35.13 ₩47.2K

65.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$21.18 ₩28.4K

222.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$57.3 ₩77.0K

0.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$15.89 ₩21.3K

-6.73%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$11.33 ₩15.2K

24.71%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$1,902 ₩2.6M

-20.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-4.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$58.9 ₩79.1K

-12.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$32.12 ₩43.1K

37.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$70.1 ₩94.2K

21.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$82.5 ₩110.8K

27.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$885 ₩1.2M

118.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$624 ₩837.5K

104.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,494 ₩3.3M

47.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,275 ₩1.7M

98.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$29.8K ₩40.1M

-74.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-72.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$3,649 ₩4.9M

39.89%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 51% $649

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 18.9% $76

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 47.2% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 23.3% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 14.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 7.2% $6.2

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 0.9% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 40% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $67.0 in Seoul. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $479, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

12:40 12:40 PM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

KRW to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Seoul 11,150 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

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

Seoul wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Seoul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,822 in Seoul – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Seoul runs roughly 12% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,822 in Seoul versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul 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 Seoul 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 Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.