Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dumaguete and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumaguete: $791 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Dumaguete
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Dumaguete Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Dumaguete

🇵🇭 Philippines

$791

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in Dumaguete versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Dumaguete $791
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,202 in Dumaguete versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Dumaguete $1,202
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,612 in Dumaguete versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Dumaguete $1,612
Seoul $3,931

Living in Dumaguete costs roughly 56% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dumaguete is 41% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 ₱242

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-56.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 ₱1,020

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-76.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.17 ₱262

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-44.69%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ₱143

$4.23 ₩5,624

-46.34%

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

$0.72 ₱45.42

$1.63 ₩2,167

-55.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ₱27.45

$0.74 ₩985

-40.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.34 ₱84.2

$3.64 ₩4,843

-63.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₱117

$6.15 ₩8,175

-69.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱101

$2.01 ₩2,679

-19.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ₱83.9

$3.13 ₩4,164

-57.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱59.6

$4.32 ₩5,744

-78.01%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$3.61 ₩4,794

-51.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 ₱528

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-52.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 ₱277

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-57.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.01 ₱441

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-72.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-78.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ₱82.0

$3.38 ₩4,499

-61.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$5.81 ₩7,723

-39.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$6.41 ₩8,520

-80.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ₱153

$3.75 ₩4,983

-35.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ₱98.8

$2.54 ₩3,375

-38.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₱49.58

$2.84 ₩3,782

-72.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱34.27

$1.11 ₩1,472

-51.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₱146

$3.35 ₩4,455

-30.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.84 ₱557

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-52.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.7

$2.40 ₩3,185

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱79.1

$3.37 ₩4,480

-62.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₱25.84

$1.14 ₩1,521

-64.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.09 ₱635

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-78.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.64

$3.49 ₩4,643

-80.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ₱10.41

$0.63 ₩840

-73.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₱138

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-75.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱66.7

$1.51 ₩2,005

-29.80%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-28.65%

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

$24.1K ₱1.5M

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-14.45%

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

$67.1 ₱4,227

$218 ₩289.2K

-69.13%

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

$10.05 ₱632

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-71.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.78 ₱1,623

$21.29 ₩28.3K

21.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.76 ₱1,496

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-59.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.06 ₱256

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-74.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 ₱455

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-36.07%

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

$57.8 ₱3,639

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-97.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,698 ₱106.9K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-92.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 ₱5,945

$57.0 ₩75.8K

65.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 ₱2,022

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-3.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₱6,429

$71.5 ₩95.0K

42.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ₱7,053

$82.5 ₩109.7K

35.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$238 ₱15.0K

$901 ₩1.2M

-73.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 ₱13.0K

$612 ₩813.5K

-66.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.0K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-83.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₱22.6K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-71.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,082 ₱194.0K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-89.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$693 ₱43.7K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-94.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 ₱17.4K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-92.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

71.57%

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

Last update for Dumaguete: 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

Dumaguete

$207 26.2%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 196% $405

Groceries & Markets

Dumaguete

$191 24.1%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 150% $286

Clothing & Footwear

Dumaguete

$153 19.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 28.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dumaguete

$103 13%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 166% $171

Eating Out

Dumaguete

$86 10.8%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 115% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Dumaguete

$38 4.8%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 111% $42

Getting Around

Dumaguete

$13 1.7%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 333% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $238 in Dumaguete and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1222% 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: $16.00 in Dumaguete vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $477 per month, with Dumaguete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dumaguete

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

1 h ahead of Dumaguete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,103

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Dumaguete Seoul 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dumaguete
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

Dumaguete vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dumaguete and Seoul differ by about 127% in total monthly costs ($791 vs $1,794 including rent). Dumaguete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1222% 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: $238 in Dumaguete versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $791 per month in Dumaguete versus $1,794 in Seoul – a 127% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dumaguete runs roughly 357% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $791 in Dumaguete versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dumaguete but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Dumaguete 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, Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.