Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Helsingborg and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Helsingborg: $1,710 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
Learn more

Helsingborg Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,710

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,710 per month in Helsingborg vs $1,804 in Seoul, rent included.

Helsingborg $1,710
Seoul $1,804

A couple spends around $2,636 per month in Helsingborg vs $2,877 in Seoul, rent included.

Helsingborg $2,636
Seoul $2,877

A family of three spends $3,561 per month in Helsingborg vs $3,950 in Seoul, rent included.

Helsingborg $3,561
Seoul $3,950

Helsingborg is about 5% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Helsingborg and Seoul sit above the global median – Helsingborg by 26%, Seoul by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.35 SEK 132

$9.10 ₩12.1K

46.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 SEK 686

$66.7 ₩88.6K

3.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 SEK 126

$7.49 ₩9,959

70.23%

Cappuccino

$4.53 SEK 44.87

$4.19 ₩5,569

8.11%

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

$2.88 SEK 28.49

$1.55 ₩2,067

85.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 SEK 23.60

$0.79 ₩1,055

201.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 SEK 67.5

$3.64 ₩4,846

87.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 SEK 61.4

$6.14 ₩8,164

0.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 SEK 14.61

$2.11 ₩2,811

-30.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 SEK 26.65

$3.05 ₩4,051

-11.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 SEK 29.08

$4.21 ₩5,599

-30.40%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.60

$3.54 ₩4,709

10.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 SEK 111

$18.02 ₩24.0K

-37.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 SEK 112

$10.35 ₩13.8K

8.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.15 SEK 150

$26.47 ₩35.2K

-42.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 SEK 31.11

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-60.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.03

$3.44 ₩4,578

-26.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 SEK 28.67

$5.64 ₩7,493

-48.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 SEK 44.31

$6.41 ₩8,517

-30.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 17.02

$3.71 ₩4,938

-53.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 SEK 15.64

$2.52 ₩3,345

-37.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SEK 18.38

$2.87 ₩3,816

-35.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 SEK 15.99

$1.16 ₩1,536

38.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.18 SEK 81.0

$3.37 ₩4,480

142.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.09 SEK 90.1

$18.72 ₩24.9K

-51.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 SEK 20.78

$2.28 ₩3,036

-7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SEK 21.77

$3.31 ₩4,397

-33.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 SEK 32.25

$1.13 ₩1,497

188.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.2 SEK 616

$46.73 ₩62.1K

33.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.28 SEK 62.2

$3.52 ₩4,684

78.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SEK 17.00

$0.64 ₩849

168.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.5 SEK 599

$8.76 ₩11.7K

590.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.80

$1.45 ₩1,930

24.14%

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

$32.8K SEK 325.2K

$29.7K ₩39.4M

10.65%

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

$33.8K SEK 335.2K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

19.98%

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

$103 SEK 1,020

$211 ₩280.4K

-51.19%

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

$19.97 SEK 198

$35.36 ₩47.0K

-43.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.57 SEK 333

$20.57 ₩27.4K

63.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.54 SEK 382

$57.7 ₩76.7K

-33.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.23 SEK 220

$16.20 ₩21.5K

37.22%

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 SEK 147

$11.37 ₩15.1K

30.34%

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

$176 SEK 1,746

$1,967 ₩2.6M

-91.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 SEK 794

$57.5 ₩76.4K

39.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.62 SEK 333

$33.08 ₩44.0K

1.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 SEK 864

$70.1 ₩93.2K

24.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 SEK 1,060

$84.3 ₩112.0K

26.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 SEK 8,380

$878 ₩1.2M

-3.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 SEK 6,464

$624 ₩829.7K

4.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 SEK 13.9K

$2,513 ₩3.3M

-44.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

$1,287 ₩1.7M

-16.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,133 SEK 31.0K

$30.4K ₩40.4M

-89.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,265 SEK 22.4K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-80.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,880 SEK 28.5K

$3,599 ₩4.8M

-19.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

4.08

-25.00%

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

Last update for Helsingborg: October 20, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Helsingborg

$652 38.2%

Seoul

$624 34.6% 4.3% $28

Groceries & Markets

Helsingborg

$337 19.7%

Seoul

$480 26.6% 42.1% $142

Eating Out

Helsingborg

$267 15.6%

Seoul

$185 10.3% 30.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Helsingborg

$156 9.2%

Seoul

$267 14.8% 70.5% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Helsingborg

$139 8.1%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 20.5% $28

Getting Around

Helsingborg

$90 5.3%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 35.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Helsingborg

$68 4%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 18% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $846 in Helsingborg versus $878 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 run about 25% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Helsingborg versus $67.0 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $337 in Helsingborg vs $480 in Seoul – so Helsingborg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

20:36 8:36 PM

7 h ahead of Helsingborg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,838

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 20, 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 SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Helsingborg Seoul 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Helsingborg
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

Helsingborg vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,710 in Helsingborg, $1,804 in Seoul – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,565 per month in Helsingborg and $2,707 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Helsingborg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Helsingborg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $176 per month in Helsingborg and $1,967 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Helsingborg, where all-in costs run around $1,710, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Helsingborg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Helsingborg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,710 in Helsingborg to $1,804 in Seoul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Helsingborg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.