Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Icheon and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Icheon: $1,595 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,595

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,595 per month in Icheon vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Icheon $1,595
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $2,043 per month in Icheon vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Icheon $2,043
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Icheon vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Icheon $2,491
Seoul $3,931

Icheon is about 11% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Icheon and Seoul sit above the global median – Icheon by 18%, Seoul by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 ₩8,238

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-29.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.38 ₩64.3K

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-29.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 ₩8,804

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-12.20%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₩4,924

$4.23 ₩5,624

-12.53%

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

$1.33 ₩1,774

$1.63 ₩2,167

-18.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₩1,553

$0.74 ₩985

58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 ₩5,052

$3.64 ₩4,843

4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 ₩5,607

$6.15 ₩8,175

-31.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ₩2,970

$2.01 ₩2,679

10.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 ₩4,346

$3.13 ₩4,164

4.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 ₩4,263

$4.32 ₩5,744

-25.69%

Eggs

$2.74 ₩3,650

$3.61 ₩4,794

-24.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 ₩14.6K

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-38.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₩14.0K

$10.45 ₩13.9K

1.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.36 ₩33.7K

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-1.71%

Apples (1kg)

$11.33 ₩15.1K

$7.66 ₩10.2K

47.91%

Banana (1kg)

$3.56 ₩4,731

$3.38 ₩4,499

5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.13 ₩10.8K

$5.81 ₩7,723

39.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.90 ₩7,849

$6.41 ₩8,520

-7.96%

Potato (1kg)

$6.05 ₩8,043

$3.75 ₩4,983

61.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,489

$2.54 ₩3,375

33.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 ₩3,647

$2.84 ₩3,782

-3.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,701

$1.11 ₩1,472

15.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,378

$3.35 ₩4,455

-1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.65 ₩24.8K

$18.49 ₩24.6K

0.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₩3,245

$2.40 ₩3,185

1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 ₩4,546

$3.37 ₩4,480

1.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,466

$1.14 ₩1,521

-3.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,836

$3.49 ₩4,643

4.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 ₩1,028

$0.63 ₩840

22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.77 ₩22.3K

$8.86 ₩11.8K

89.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₩1,821

$1.51 ₩2,005

-9.27%

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

$29.9K ₩39.8M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

2.24%

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

$33.4K ₩44.4M

$28.2K ₩37.5M

18.38%

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

$200 ₩265.3K

$218 ₩289.2K

-8.27%

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

$36.02 ₩47.9K

$35.15 ₩46.7K

2.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩36.2K

$21.29 ₩28.3K

27.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.45 ₩29.8K

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-61.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.28 ₩15.0K

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-0.27%

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

$642 ₩853.2K

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-67.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ₩29.4M

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-3.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₩141.3K

$57.0 ₩75.8K

86.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.5 ₩87.1K

$33.39 ₩44.4K

96.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ₩124.8K

$71.5 ₩95.0K

31.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₩171.6K

$82.5 ₩109.7K

56.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₩994.5K

$901 ₩1.2M

-16.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ₩609.7K

$612 ₩813.5K

-25.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,317 ₩3.1M

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-36.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

4.08

-4.41%

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

Last update for Icheon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Icheon

$488 30.6%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 2.3% $11

Accommodation & Living

Icheon

$459 28.8%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 33.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Icheon

$263 16.5%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 4.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Icheon

$178 11.1%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 38.1% $68

Eating Out

Icheon

$151 9.5%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 21.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Icheon

$45 2.8%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 79.2% $36

Getting Around

Icheon

$12 * 0.8%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 381% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Icheon 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.

Salaries run about 58% 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 $48.00 in Icheon versus $68.0 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $488 in Icheon vs $477 in Seoul – so Seoul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Icheon

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

Same time as Icheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

213,059

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Icheon vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,393 per month in Icheon 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 Icheon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Icheon and $68.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Seoul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Icheon, where all-in costs run around $1,595, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Icheon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Icheon – 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 Icheon. 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.