Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butuan and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $578 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

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Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$578

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $578 in Butuan versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Butuan $578
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $913 in Butuan versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Butuan $913
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,248 in Butuan versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Butuan $1,248
Seoul $3,931

Living in Butuan costs roughly 68% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Butuan is 57% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 ₱294

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-46.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.83 ₱1,689

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-60.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.41 ₱152

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-68.04%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ₱131

$4.23 ₩5,624

-50.59%

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

$0.33 ₱21.01

$1.63 ₩2,167

-79.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.47

$0.74 ₩985

-68.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 ₱98.8

$3.64 ₩4,843

-56.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₱155

$6.15 ₩8,175

-60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱123

$2.01 ₩2,679

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱68.9

$3.13 ₩4,164

-65.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱55.0

$4.32 ₩5,744

-79.86%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱117

$3.61 ₩4,794

-48.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.21 ₱391

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-65.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 ₱305

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-53.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.32 ₱587

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-63.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ₱169

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-65.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ₱69.7

$3.38 ₩4,499

-67.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$5.81 ₩7,723

-58.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ₱75.8

$6.41 ₩8,520

-81.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ₱127

$3.75 ₩4,983

-46.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$2.54 ₩3,375

38.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₱79.0

$2.84 ₩3,782

-55.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.40

$1.11 ₩1,472

-39.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 ₱150

$3.35 ₩4,455

-28.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 ₱512

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-56.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$2.40 ₩3,185

-47.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₱106

$3.37 ₩4,480

-49.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.31

$3.49 ₩4,643

-77.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$0.63 ₩840

-60.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ₱123

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-77.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₱66.1

$1.51 ₩2,005

-30.46%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-27.47%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-32.54%

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

$107 ₱6,745

$218 ₩289.2K

-50.75%

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

$18.89 ₱1,189

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-46.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.87 ₱1,944

$21.29 ₩28.3K

45.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-58.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ₱275

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-61.36%

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

$108 ₱6,790

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-94.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,696 ₱484.6K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-66.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ₱3,885

$57.0 ₩75.8K

8.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.28 ₱1,970

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-6.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ₱4,523

$71.5 ₩95.0K

0.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.2 ₱3,916

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-24.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

4.08

103.68%

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

Last update for Butuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butuan

$200 34.6%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 138% $277

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$157 27.1%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 74.6% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$102 17.7%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 7.7% $7.8

Eating Out

Butuan

$85 14.6%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 117% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$33 5.6%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 148% $48

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 2710% $55

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Seoul

$612 34.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $27.00 in Butuan vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $477 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

1 h ahead of Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Butuan Seoul 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
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

Butuan vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 210% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $867 in Butuan and $2,692 in Seoul 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.

Childcare runs $108 in Butuan versus $1,948 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $578 in Butuan versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan 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, Butuan 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 Butuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 210% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.