Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dagupan and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Dagupan: $743 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Dagupan
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Dagupan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Dagupan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $743 per month in Dagupan vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Dagupan $743
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,105 per month in Dagupan vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Dagupan $1,105
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $1,467 per month in Dagupan vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Dagupan $1,467
Seoul $3,931

Dagupan is about 59% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dagupan sits 45% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ₱183

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-67.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.98 ₱754

$68.4 ₩91.2K

-82.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ₱284

$7.54 ₩10.1K

-40.32%

Cappuccino

$2.47 ₱156

$4.23 ₩5,644

-41.61%

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

$0.50 ₱31.42

$1.63 ₩2,175

-69.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.46

$0.74 ₩988

-68.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.6

$3.64 ₩4,860

-67.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₱172

$6.15 ₩8,203

-55.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ₱112

$2.01 ₩2,688

-11.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 ₱80.3

$3.13 ₩4,178

-59.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₱55.8

$4.32 ₩5,764

-79.40%

Eggs

$1.84 ₱116

$3.61 ₩4,810

-49.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.69 ₱358

$17.83 ₩23.8K

-68.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 ₱304

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-53.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.85 ₱431

$25.80 ₩34.4K

-73.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 ₱250

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-48.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ₱126

$3.38 ₩4,514

-40.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 ₱168

$5.81 ₩7,750

-54.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.2

$6.41 ₩8,549

-82.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 ₱181

$3.75 ₩5,000

-23.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 ₱219

$2.54 ₩3,387

37.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₱67.3

$2.84 ₩3,796

-62.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₱35.95

$1.11 ₩1,477

-48.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.45 ₱155

$3.35 ₩4,470

-26.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ₱348

$18.49 ₩24.7K

-70.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱56.2

$2.40 ₩3,196

-62.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₱118

$3.37 ₩4,495

-44.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.60

$1.14 ₩1,526

-82.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₱41.69

$3.49 ₩4,660

-81.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.55

$0.63 ₩843

-63.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱118

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-78.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ₱71.6

$1.51 ₩2,012

-24.50%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.3K ₩39.1M

-27.63%

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

$19.7K ₱1.2M

$28.2K ₩37.6M

-30.28%

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

$104 ₱6,563

$218 ₩290.2K

-52.10%

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

$15.84 ₱998

$35.15 ₩46.9K

-54.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.82 ₱1,627

$21.29 ₩28.4K

21.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.96 ₱2,139

$58.1 ₩77.5K

-41.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.5K

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 ₱323

$11.31 ₩15.1K

-54.64%

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

$786 ₱49.5K

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-59.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,469 ₱470.5K

$22.9K ₩30.5M

-67.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.6 ₱3,816

$57.0 ₩76.1K

6.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.86 ₱495

$33.39 ₩44.5K

-76.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 ₱5,078

$71.5 ₩95.4K

12.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ₱6,414

$82.5 ₩110.1K

23.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 ₱12.2K

$901 ₩1.2M

-78.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₱10.0K

$612 ₩816.3K

-74.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$364 ₱22.9K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-85.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 ₱17.0K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-78.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$479 ₱30.2K

$11.9K ₩15.9M

-95.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$239 ₱15.0K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-93.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

4.08

83.82%

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

Last update for Dagupan: 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

Dagupan

$197 26.6%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 142% $280

Accommodation & Living

Dagupan

$159 21.4%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 285% $453

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dagupan

$146 19.6%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 87.8% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Dagupan

$113 15.2%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 2.6% $2.9

Eating Out

Dagupan

$81 10.9%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 128% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Dagupan

$44 6%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 82.5% $36

Getting Around

Dagupan

$2.6 * 0.4%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 2088% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $194 in Dagupan versus $901 in Seoul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1430% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Dagupan versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $477 – making Dagupan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dagupan

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

23:53 11:53 PM

1 h ahead of Dagupan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,302

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 = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dagupan Seoul 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dagupan
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

Dagupan vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,114 per month in Dagupan and $2,692 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dagupan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Dagupan and $68.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 142% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dagupan, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Dagupan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dagupan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dagupan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.