Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gongju and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongju: $1,522 a month against $1,829 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seoul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
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Gongju Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

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Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,522

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,829

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,522 per month in Gongju vs $1,829 in Seoul, rent included.

Gongju $1,522
Seoul $1,829

A couple spends around $2,522 per month in Gongju vs $2,973 in Seoul, rent included.

Gongju $2,522
Seoul $2,973

A family of three spends $3,522 per month in Gongju vs $4,116 in Seoul, rent included.

Gongju $3,522
Seoul $4,116

Gongju is about 17% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Gongju and Seoul sit above the global median – Gongju by 13%, Seoul by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.24 ₩9,696

$8.87 ₩11.9K

-18.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.72 ₩63.9K

$69.4 ₩93.0K

-31.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ₩8,945

$7.50 ₩10.0K

-10.93%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₩4,956

$4.04 ₩5,412

-8.42%

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

$1.80 ₩2,414

$1.56 ₩2,084

15.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ₩1,848

$0.73 ₩981

89.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,892

$3.66 ₩4,894

-0.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 ₩5,600

$5.88 ₩7,869

-28.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₩3,128

$2.08 ₩2,787

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₩4,315

$3.01 ₩4,029

6.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 ₩4,056

$4.18 ₩5,601

-27.51%

Eggs

$2.68 ₩3,585

$3.63 ₩4,865

-26.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 ₩14.5K

$17.87 ₩23.9K

-39.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$10.32 ₩13.8K

1.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.97 ₩33.4K

$26.17 ₩35.0K

-4.59%

Apples (1kg)

$11.02 ₩14.8K

$7.42 ₩9,930

48.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.65 ₩4,889

$3.45 ₩4,622

5.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.16 ₩10.9K

$5.60 ₩7,493

45.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.03 ₩8,072

$6.29 ₩8,419

-4.13%

Potato (1kg)

$5.80 ₩7,764

$3.60 ₩4,823

61.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₩4,345

$2.51 ₩3,356

29.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 ₩3,824

$2.77 ₩3,713

3.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₩1,703

$1.14 ₩1,527

11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,569

$3.42 ₩4,582

-0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.26 ₩24.5K

$18.60 ₩24.9K

-1.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,181

$2.30 ₩3,086

3.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₩4,821

$3.34 ₩4,475

7.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 ₩1,604

$1.12 ₩1,499

7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.78 ₩62.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,870

$3.60 ₩4,819

1.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩894

$0.60 ₩806

11.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.65 ₩19.6K

$8.87 ₩11.9K

65.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₩1,866

$1.49 ₩1,996

-6.71%

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

$39.8K ₩53.2M

$29.7K ₩39.7M

33.91%

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

$33.7K ₩45.1M

$28.0K ₩37.5M

20.25%

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

$200 ₩268.2K

$216 ₩289.0K

-7.17%

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

$36.89 ₩49.4K

$34.52 ₩46.2K

6.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.87 ₩36.0K

$20.34 ₩27.2K

32.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 ₩78.0K

$59.2 ₩79.3K

-1.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.41 ₩20.6K

$15.93 ₩21.3K

-3.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 ₩15.8K

$11.01 ₩14.7K

6.90%

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

$636 ₩852.1K

$1,962 ₩2.6M

-67.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K ₩28.9M

$26.3K ₩35.2M

-17.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩140.7K

$62.3 ₩83.4K

68.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 ₩86.3K

$33.82 ₩45.3K

90.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 ₩123.8K

$67.9 ₩90.9K

36.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩171.4K

$82.9 ₩111.0K

54.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₩567.2K

$918 ₩1.2M

-53.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₩458.9K

$654 ₩875.2K

-47.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 ₩1.9M

$3,093 ₩4.1M

-54.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 ₩1.3M

$1,457 ₩2.0M

-35.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,877 ₩9.2M

$28.4K ₩38.0M

-75.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,486 ₩7.3M

$11.4K ₩15.2M

-51.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,309 ₩1.8M

$3,496 ₩4.7M

-62.57%

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 Gongju: November 2, 2026

Last update for Seoul: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gongju

$484 31.8%

Seoul

$474 25.9% 2.2% $11

Accommodation & Living

Gongju

$343 22.5%

Seoul

$654 35.7% 90.7% $311

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gongju

$264 17.4%

Seoul

$271 14.8% 2.5% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Gongju

$175 11.5%

Seoul

$111 6.1% 36.7% $64

Eating Out

Gongju

$162 10.6%

Seoul

$181 9.9% 12% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Gongju

$82 5.4%

Seoul

$81 4.4% 0.7% $0.6

Getting Around

Gongju

$12 * 0.8%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 392% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in Gongju versus $918 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 in Seoul are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Gongju versus $69 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $484 in Gongju vs $474 in Seoul – so Seoul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gongju

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

Same time as Gongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,428

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Gongju Seoul 120 km

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Gongju
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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

Gongju vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,522 in Gongju, $1,829 in Seoul – Gongju comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,283 per month in Gongju and $2,744 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gongju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $918 in Seoul.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Gongju and $1,962 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,522 in Gongju and $1,829 in Seoul. That makes Gongju about 17% cheaper.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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