Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagayan de Oro City and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $771 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Cagayan de Oro City
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Cagayan de Oro City Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Cagayan de Oro City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Cagayan de Oro City $771
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,141 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Cagayan de Oro City $1,141
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,511 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Cagayan de Oro City $1,511
Seoul $3,931

Living in Cagayan de Oro City costs roughly 57% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cagayan de Oro City is 43% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.68 ₱231

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-58.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.80 ₱806

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-81.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 ₱192

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-59.55%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₱147

$4.23 ₩5,624

-44.92%

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

$0.76 ₱47.91

$1.63 ₩2,167

-53.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₱39.98

$0.74 ₩985

-13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ₱86.9

$3.64 ₩4,843

-62.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱124

$6.15 ₩8,175

-67.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ₱93.4

$2.01 ₩2,679

-26.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₱56.2

$3.13 ₩4,164

-71.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.0

$4.32 ₩5,744

-78.70%

Eggs

$2.17 ₱137

$3.61 ₩4,794

-39.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ₱546

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-51.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱207

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-68.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.76 ₱363

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-77.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₱129

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-73.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₱68.3

$3.38 ₩4,499

-68.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$5.81 ₩7,723

-59.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₱71.9

$6.41 ₩8,520

-82.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 ₱121

$3.75 ₩4,983

-48.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 ₱159

$2.54 ₩3,375

-0.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ₱47.87

$2.84 ₩3,782

-73.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₱30.30

$1.11 ₩1,472

-56.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ₱190

$3.35 ₩4,455

-9.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.97 ₱250

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-78.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₱77.0

$2.40 ₩3,185

-49.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱122

$3.37 ₩4,480

-42.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₱25.99

$1.14 ₩1,521

-64.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.84 ₱620

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-78.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 ₱39.57

$3.49 ₩4,643

-81.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.18

$0.63 ₩840

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-78.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₱67.8

$1.51 ₩2,005

-28.48%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-27.76%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-33.02%

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

$137 ₱8,600

$218 ₩289.2K

-37.20%

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

$22.77 ₱1,433

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-35.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.51 ₱1,921

$21.29 ₩28.3K

43.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.70 ₱1,303

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-64.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.87 ₱181

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-82.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.55 ₱286

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-59.77%

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

$66.4 ₱4,181

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-96.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,257 ₱142.1K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-90.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.71 ₱1,997

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-44.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.08 ₱824

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-60.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₱3,300

$71.5 ₩95.0K

-26.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.65 ₱2,496

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-51.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ₱23.8K

$901 ₩1.2M

-58.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ₱14.4K

$612 ₩813.5K

-62.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 ₱43.7K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-72.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 ₱28.5K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-64.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,604 ₱101.0K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-94.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$951 ₱59.9K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-92.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$302 ₱19.0K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-91.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.08

65.44%

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

Last update for Cagayan de Oro City: October 13, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cagayan de Oro City

$229 29.6%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 168% $383

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cagayan de Oro City

$190 24.6%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 44.3% $84

Groceries & Markets

Cagayan de Oro City

$165 21.4%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 188% $311

Eating Out

Cagayan de Oro City

$83 10.8%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 122% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Cagayan de Oro City

$62 8%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 78.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cagayan de Oro City

$30 3.9%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 171% $51

Getting Around

Cagayan de Oro City

$13 1.7%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 335% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $377 in Cagayan de Oro City and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1107% 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: $13.00 in Cagayan de Oro City vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $477 per month, with Cagayan de Oro City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

04:12 4:12 AM

1 h ahead of Cagayan de Oro City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

728,402

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 = 70.79 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

Cagayan de Oro City Seoul 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cagayan de Oro City
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

Cagayan de Oro City vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cagayan de Oro City and Seoul differ by about 133% in total monthly costs ($771 vs $1,794 including rent). Cagayan de Oro City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1107% 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: $377 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 188% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cagayan de Oro City but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Cagayan de Oro City 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, Cagayan de Oro City 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 Cagayan de Oro City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.