Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,666 in Denver, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Denver
Learn more

Denver Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Denver

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,666

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,666 per month in Denver vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Denver $2,666
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $3,649 per month in Denver vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Denver $3,649
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $4,631 per month in Denver vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Denver $4,631
Seoul $3,931

Denver costs about 49% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Denver and Seoul sit above the global median – Denver by 98%, Seoul by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 A$24.37

$8.80 ₩11.7K

92.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.2 A$137

$68.4 ₩91.2K

39.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 A$15.43

$7.54 ₩10.1K

42.18%

Cappuccino

$4.40 A$6.33

$4.23 ₩5,644

4.02%

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

$2.80 A$4.03

$1.63 ₩2,175

71.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 A$3.68

$0.74 ₩988

245.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 A$11.27

$3.64 ₩4,860

115.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 A$10.74

$6.15 ₩8,203

21.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.92

$2.01 ₩2,688

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 A$4.31

$3.13 ₩4,178

-4.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.65

$4.32 ₩5,764

-41.44%

Eggs

$5.49 A$7.89

$3.61 ₩4,810

52.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 A$14.02

$17.83 ₩23.8K

-45.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 A$15.16

$10.45 ₩13.9K

0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.60 A$18.12

$25.80 ₩34.4K

-51.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 A$5.48

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-50.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.49

$3.38 ₩4,514

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.37

$5.81 ₩7,750

-47.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 A$7.31

$6.41 ₩8,549

-20.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$3.75 ₩5,000

-24.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.54 ₩3,387

-14.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.45

$2.84 ₩3,796

-15.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.11 ₩1,477

29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.07 A$62.0

$3.35 ₩4,470

1185.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.42 A$20.76

$18.49 ₩24.7K

-22.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.92 A$7.08

$2.40 ₩3,196

105.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 A$7.86

$3.37 ₩4,495

62.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 A$3.82

$1.14 ₩1,526

132.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 A$128

$46.11 ₩61.5K

92.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.73

$3.49 ₩4,660

14.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.63 ₩843

158.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.09 A$54.8

$8.86 ₩11.8K

329.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.51 ₩2,012

-4.64%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.3K ₩39.1M

-0.95%

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

$31.1K A$44.8K

$28.2K ₩37.6M

10.28%

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

$210 A$302

$218 ₩290.2K

-3.67%

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

$27.33 A$39.33

$35.15 ₩46.9K

-22.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 A$84.3

$21.29 ₩28.4K

175.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 A$76.7

$58.1 ₩77.5K

-8.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.34 A$26.39

$16.10 ₩21.5K

13.91%

Cinema Ticket

$16.27 A$23.41

$11.31 ₩15.1K

43.85%

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

$2,199 A$3,165

$1,948 ₩2.6M

12.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K A$32.6K

$22.9K ₩30.5M

-0.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 A$98.2

$57.0 ₩76.1K

19.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.94 A$70.4

$33.39 ₩44.5K

46.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$150

$71.5 ₩95.4K

46.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$181

$82.5 ₩110.1K

52.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 A$1,846

$901 ₩1.2M

42.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 A$1,938

$612 ₩816.3K

120.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-23.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 A$2,345

$1,266 ₩1.7M

28.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,041 A$8,692

$29.4K ₩39.3M

-79.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,705 A$6,770

$11.9K ₩15.9M

-60.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.08

43.14%

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

Last update for Denver: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denver

$1.3K 50.5%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 54.6% $735

Groceries & Markets

Denver

$375 14.1%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 27.3% $102

Eating Out

Denver

$296 11.1%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 37.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver

$295 11.1%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 7.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Denver

$156 5.9%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 29.7% $46

Getting Around

Denver

$112 4.2%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 48.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Denver

$86 3.2%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 6% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,283 in Denver 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95.0 in Denver versus $68.0 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $375 in Denver vs $477 in Seoul – so Denver wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Denver

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

01:32 1:32 AM

2 h behind Denver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Denver Seoul 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver
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

Denver vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,666 in Denver, $1,794 in Seoul – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,000 per month in Denver 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 Seoul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 93% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,199 per month in Denver and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,794, than in Denver at $2,666. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Denver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – 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 Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Denver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.