Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $552 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
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Bangalore Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$552

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $552 in Bangalore versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Bangalore $552
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $936 in Bangalore versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Bangalore $936
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,320 in Bangalore versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Bangalore $1,320
Seoul $3,931

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 69% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bangalore is 59% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.20 ₹304

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-63.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.72 ₹1,683

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-74.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 ₹451

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-37.14%

Cappuccino

$2.24 ₹213

$4.23 ₩5,624

-47.04%

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

$0.38 ₹36.16

$1.63 ₩2,167

-76.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹11.88

$0.74 ₩985

-82.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ₹217

$3.64 ₩4,843

-37.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₹351

$6.15 ₩8,175

-40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹60.1

$2.01 ₩2,679

-68.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 ₹55.6

$3.13 ₩4,164

-81.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.2

$4.32 ₩5,744

-81.25%

Eggs

$1.12 ₹106

$3.61 ₩4,794

-68.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.97 ₹567

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-66.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 ₹356

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-64.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ₹266

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-63.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 ₹72.6

$3.38 ₩4,499

-77.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 ₹112

$5.81 ₩7,723

-79.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.11

$6.41 ₩8,520

-94.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.71

$3.75 ₩4,983

-89.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.08

$2.54 ₩3,375

-85.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹40.06

$2.84 ₩3,782

-85.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹30.82

$1.11 ₩1,472

-71.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ₹456

$3.35 ₩4,455

43.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 ₹884

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-49.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₹185

$2.40 ₩3,185

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₹285

$3.37 ₩4,480

-10.98%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.37 ₹605

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹50.9

$1.14 ₩1,521

-52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.55 ₹1,477

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-66.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹97.2

$3.49 ₩4,643

-70.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.63

$0.63 ₩840

-52.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ₹194

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-76.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹105

$1.51 ₩2,005

-27.15%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-57.17%

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

$18.7K ₹1.8M

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-33.62%

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

$30.94 ₹2,938

$218 ₩289.2K

-85.78%

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

$4.10 ₹389

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-88.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.39 ₹987

$21.29 ₩28.3K

-51.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.87 ₹1,792

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-67.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 ₹550

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-64.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.82 ₹457

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-57.38%

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

$102 ₹9,658

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-94.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,257 ₹309.3K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-85.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.54 ₹3,185

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-41.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.76 ₹2,921

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-7.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.7 ₹5,002

$71.5 ₩95.0K

-26.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.37 ₹3,834

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-51.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 ₹29.1K

$901 ₩1.2M

-65.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₹16.7K

$612 ₩813.5K

-71.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$782 ₹74.2K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-69.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₹45.8K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-61.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,857 ₹176.3K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-93.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,074 ₹102.0K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-90.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$940 ₹89.2K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-74.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.46

4.08

107.35%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$176 31.9%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 248% $436

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$124 22.4%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 286% $353

Eating Out

Bangalore

$88 15.9%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 110% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$71 12.8%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 55.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$45 8.2%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 503% $229

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$29 5.2%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 183% $52

Getting Around

Bangalore

$20 3.7%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 183% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $307 in Bangalore and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 288% 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: $18.00 in Bangalore vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $477 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

05:03 5:03 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 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 INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bangalore Seoul 5,580 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangalore
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

Bangalore vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 225% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 288% lower in Seoul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $307 in Bangalore versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 197% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $102 in Bangalore versus $1,948 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $552 in Bangalore versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bangalore but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Bangalore the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $552 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bangalore 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 Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 225% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.