Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheongju and Seoul Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheongju and Seoul

🙂 Solo nomad: Cheongju is 13.3% cheaper than Seoul without rent, and 28.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cheongju is 28.1% cheaper than Seoul without rent, and 36.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cheongju
Seoul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.09 ₩9,623
$8.57 ₩11.6K
-17.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.03 ₩50.2K
$55.8 ₩75.7K
-33.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.87 ₩6,611
$6.48 ₩8,798
-24.85%
Cappuccino
$4.23 ₩5,742
$3.94 ₩5,341
7.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 ₩2,532
$1.68 ₩2,275
11.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 ₩1,866
$0.81 ₩1,098
70.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.64 ₩4,941
$3.72 ₩5,050
-2.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.89 ₩7,994
$5.91 ₩8,020
-0.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cheongju
Seoul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.12 ₩2,870
$2.26 ₩3,069
-6.19%
White Bread (500g)
$3.51 ₩4,768
$3.31 ₩4,489
6.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 ₩2,520
$3.1 ₩4,205
-40.00%
Eggs
$2.15 ₩2,920
$3.22 ₩4,374
-33.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.39 ₩14.1K
$14.06 ₩19.1K
-26.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.48 ₩11.5K
$10.93 ₩14.8K
-22.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.75 ₩20K
$34.17 ₩46.4K
-56.83%
Apples (1kg)
$2.96 ₩4,014
$7.69 ₩10.4K
-61.51%
Banana (1kg)
$2.93 ₩3,970
$3.48 ₩4,728
-15.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.34 ₩9,955
$5.66 ₩7,685
29.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.34 ₩7,250
$6.72 ₩9,119
-20.54%
Potato (1kg)
$5.18 ₩7,027
$3.84 ₩5,209
34.90%
Onion (1kg)
$2.92 ₩3,959
$2.87 ₩3,888
1.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.09 ₩2,837
$2.53 ₩3,438
-17.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.42 ₩570
$1.33 ₩1,802
-68.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.4 ₩4,612
$3.36 ₩4,554
1.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.73 ₩18.6K
$20.58 ₩27.9K
-33.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₩2,368
$2.44 ₩3,309
-28.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 ₩2,924
$3.35 ₩4,547
-35.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Cheongju
Seoul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.2 ₩1,628
$1.12 ₩1,516
7.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.2 ₩99.3K
$46.88 ₩63.6K
56.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.66 ₩3,611
$3.57 ₩4,847
-25.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₩1,149
$0.57 ₩779
49.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.74 ₩22.7K
$8.66 ₩11.8K
93.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.2 ₩1,632
$1.25 ₩1,692
-4.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K ₩36.9M
$27.4K ₩37.2M
-0.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K ₩33.8M
$24.8K ₩33.7M
0.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cheongju
Seoul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$191 ₩258.6K
$165 ₩224.5K
15.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.46 ₩33.2K
$34.61 ₩47K
-29.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.54 ₩19.7K
$22.4 ₩30.4K
-35.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cheongju
Seoul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.3 ₩83.1K
$56.9 ₩77.2K
7.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.49 ₩46.8K
$23.73 ₩32.2K
45.34%
Cinema Ticket
$7.3 ₩9,898
$11.1 ₩15.1K
-34.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cheongju
Seoul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$498 ₩676.3K
$413 ₩560.9K
20.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.9K ₩18.8M
$23K ₩31.2M
-39.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cheongju
Seoul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.08 ₩49K
$58.7 ₩79.7K
-38.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.09 ₩65.3K
$46.88 ₩63.6K
2.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.4 ₩121.3K
$79 ₩107.2K
13.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 ₩149K
$115 ₩155.7K
-4.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cheongju
Seoul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$294 ₩398.8K
$933 ₩1.3M
-68.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$239 ₩324.4K
$587 ₩797.1K
-59.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$406 ₩550.7K
$2,582 ₩3.5M
-84.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$295 ₩399.8K
$1,302 ₩1.8M
-77.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,261 ₩5.8M
$21.4K ₩29M
-80.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,105 ₩2.9M
$11.1K ₩15M
-80.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cheongju
Seoul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,460 ₩3.3M
$3,244 ₩4.4M
-24.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
4.14
1.93%

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

Last update for Cheongju: October 28, 2025

Last update for Seoul: October 29, 2025

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