Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darkhan and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Darkhan: $655 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Darkhan
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Darkhan Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Darkhan

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$655

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $655 in Darkhan versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Darkhan $655
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,075 in Darkhan versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Darkhan $1,075
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,496 in Darkhan versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Darkhan $1,496
Seoul $3,872

Living in Darkhan costs roughly 64% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Darkhan is 51% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 MNT 19.6K

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-40.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.74 MNT 114.0K

$67.0 ₩90.0K

-52.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

$7.42 ₩9,964

-24.26%

Cappuccino

$2.39 MNT 8,575

$4.08 ₩5,482

-41.42%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,140

$1.60 ₩2,146

-45.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 MNT 2,065

$0.80 ₩1,081

-28.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MNT 8,427

$3.65 ₩4,898

-35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 MNT 12.3K

$5.94 ₩7,974

-42.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MNT 5,184

$2.05 ₩2,748

-29.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MNT 3,653

$3.08 ₩4,139

-66.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 MNT 7,389

$4.21 ₩5,659

-51.07%

Eggs

$2.16 MNT 7,750

$3.57 ₩4,795

-39.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 MNT 44.8K

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-30.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 MNT 17.5K

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-54.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 MNT 26.7K

$26.44 ₩35.5K

-71.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MNT 11.5K

$7.42 ₩9,969

-56.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 MNT 8,592

$3.53 ₩4,743

-32.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 MNT 13.8K

$5.87 ₩7,884

-34.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 MNT 11.0K

$6.37 ₩8,554

-51.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MNT 2,567

$3.75 ₩5,040

-81.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 MNT 3,772

$2.49 ₩3,345

-57.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 MNT 6,146

$2.92 ₩3,920

-41.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 MNT 2,626

$1.15 ₩1,545

-36.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 MNT 5,985

$3.29 ₩4,418

-49.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.29 MNT 37.0K

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-44.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 MNT 5,126

$2.28 ₩3,064

-37.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 MNT 6,455

$3.28 ₩4,408

-45.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,529

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩61.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 MNT 1,967

$3.48 ₩4,674

-84.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MNT 1,950

$0.60 ₩805

-10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

$8.70 ₩11.7K

-25.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 MNT 3,852

$1.50 ₩2,008

-28.67%

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

$27.3K MNT 98.2M

$29.1K ₩39.1M

-6.13%

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

$35.4K MNT 127.4M

$28.2K ₩37.9M

25.73%

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

$70.6 MNT 253.8K

$209 ₩280.5K

-66.18%

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

$7.68 MNT 27.6K

$35.13 ₩47.2K

-78.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.82 MNT 49.7K

$21.18 ₩28.4K

-34.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩77.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-62.58%

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

$831 MNT 3.0M

$1,902 ₩2.6M

-56.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,568 MNT 30.8M

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-61.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 MNT 299.8K

$58.9 ₩79.1K

41.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.49 MNT 163.5K

$32.12 ₩43.1K

41.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MNT 371.8K

$70.1 ₩94.2K

47.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 MNT 665.6K

$82.5 ₩110.8K

124.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩837.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

4.08

152.94%

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

Last update for Darkhan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Darkhan

$238 37%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 102% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Darkhan

$188 29.2%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 41.7% $78

Eating Out

Darkhan

$114 17.7%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 61.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darkhan

$92 14.3%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 188% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Darkhan

$8.5 * 1.3%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 842% $72

Getting Around

Darkhan

$3.3 * 0.5%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 1633% $53

Accommodation & Living

Darkhan

- * 0%

Seoul

$624 34.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Darkhan vs $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $479 per month, with Darkhan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Darkhan

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

17:19 5:19 PM

1 h ahead of Darkhan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,738

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Darkhan Seoul 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Darkhan
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

Darkhan vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darkhan wins on cost – living expenses run 178% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Darkhan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $983 in Darkhan and $2,733 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 $831 in Darkhan versus $1,902 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Darkhan – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $655 in Darkhan versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Darkhan but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Darkhan 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, Darkhan 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 Darkhan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 178% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.