Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gimhae and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Gimhae: $1,553 a month against $1,829 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seoul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Gimhae
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Gimhae Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Gimhae

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,553

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,829

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,553 in Gimhae versus $1,829 in Seoul.

Gimhae $1,553
Seoul $1,829

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,462 in Gimhae versus $2,973 in Seoul.

Gimhae $2,462
Seoul $2,973

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,371 in Gimhae versus $4,116 in Seoul.

Gimhae $3,371
Seoul $4,116

Living in Gimhae costs roughly 15% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gimhae 15% above, Seoul 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 ₩10.2K

$8.87 ₩11.9K

-14.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.21 ₩65.9K

$69.4 ₩93.0K

-29.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 ₩8,960

$7.50 ₩10.0K

-10.80%

Cappuccino

$3.76 ₩5,031

$4.04 ₩5,412

-6.93%

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

$1.87 ₩2,507

$1.56 ₩2,084

19.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,863

$0.73 ₩981

90.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 ₩5,035

$3.66 ₩4,894

2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 ₩5,875

$5.88 ₩7,869

-25.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,098

$2.08 ₩2,787

11.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 ₩4,339

$3.01 ₩4,029

7.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 ₩4,089

$4.18 ₩5,601

-27.03%

Eggs

$2.61 ₩3,499

$3.63 ₩4,865

-28.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩14.9K

$17.87 ₩23.9K

-37.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₩14.0K

$10.32 ₩13.8K

1.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.45 ₩32.7K

$26.17 ₩35.0K

-6.57%

Apples (1kg)

$10.94 ₩14.6K

$7.42 ₩9,930

47.44%

Banana (1kg)

$3.55 ₩4,752

$3.45 ₩4,622

2.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.18 ₩11.0K

$5.60 ₩7,493

46.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.84 ₩7,817

$6.29 ₩8,419

-7.15%

Potato (1kg)

$6.03 ₩8,070

$3.60 ₩4,823

67.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 ₩4,410

$2.51 ₩3,356

31.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 ₩3,681

$2.77 ₩3,713

-0.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,783

$1.14 ₩1,527

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 ₩4,368

$3.42 ₩4,582

-4.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.65 ₩25.0K

$18.60 ₩24.9K

0.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₩3,171

$2.30 ₩3,086

3.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₩4,726

$3.34 ₩4,475

5.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₩1,619

$1.12 ₩1,499

8.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.78 ₩62.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 ₩4,648

$3.60 ₩4,819

-3.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩894

$0.60 ₩806

11.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.75 ₩19.7K

$8.87 ₩11.9K

66.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₩1,705

$1.49 ₩1,996

-14.77%

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

$39.7K ₩53.1M

$29.7K ₩39.7M

33.57%

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

$33.4K ₩44.8M

$28.0K ₩37.5M

19.45%

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

$195 ₩261.4K

$216 ₩289.0K

-9.53%

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

$36.82 ₩49.3K

$34.52 ₩46.2K

6.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.09 ₩36.3K

$20.34 ₩27.2K

33.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.27 ₩62.0K

$59.2 ₩79.3K

-21.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 ₩20.3K

$15.93 ₩21.3K

-4.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 ₩16.0K

$11.01 ₩14.7K

8.45%

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

$630 ₩843.4K

$1,962 ₩2.6M

-67.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.1M

$26.3K ₩35.2M

-17.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₩137.0K

$62.3 ₩83.4K

64.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩87.1K

$33.82 ₩45.3K

92.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ₩125.7K

$67.9 ₩90.9K

38.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩169.7K

$82.9 ₩111.0K

52.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 ₩675.5K

$918 ₩1.2M

-45.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 ₩519.2K

$654 ₩875.2K

-40.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 ₩1.6M

$3,093 ₩4.1M

-61.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₩1.1M

$1,457 ₩2.0M

-44.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,801 ₩10.4M

$28.4K ₩38.0M

-72.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,673 ₩7.6M

$11.4K ₩15.2M

-50.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,533 ₩3.4M

$3,496 ₩4.7M

-27.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

4.08

3.43%

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

Last update for Gimhae: November 3, 2026

Last update for Seoul: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gimhae

$483 31.1%

Seoul

$474 25.9% 2% $9.6

Accommodation & Living

Gimhae

$388 25%

Seoul

$654 35.7% 68.6% $266

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gimhae

$259 16.7%

Seoul

$271 14.8% 4.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Gimhae

$175 11.2%

Seoul

$111 6.1% 36.4% $63

Eating Out

Gimhae

$167 10.7%

Seoul

$181 9.9% 8.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Gimhae

$70 4.5%

Seoul

$81 4.4% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Gimhae

$12 * 0.8%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 397% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $505 in Gimhae and $918 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Gimhae vs $69 in Seoul. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $474, with Seoul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gimhae

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

Same time as Gimhae

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

532,132

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Gimhae Seoul 310 km

From you

Gimhae
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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

Gimhae vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gimhae wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gimhae the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Gimhae. 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: $505 in Gimhae versus $918 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,553 per month in Gimhae versus $1,829 in Seoul – Gimhae is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Gimhae – a meal for two runs $49 versus $69 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Gimhae is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Gimhae is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seoul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Gimhae and Seoul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Gimhae wins on affordability, Seoul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.