Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Irkutsk and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Irkutsk: $1,013 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
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Irkutsk Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,013

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,013 in Irkutsk versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Irkutsk $1,013
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Irkutsk versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Irkutsk $1,501
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,988 in Irkutsk versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Irkutsk $1,988
Seoul $3,872

Living in Irkutsk costs roughly 44% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Irkutsk is 24% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.18 ₽611

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-21.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.58 ₽2,772

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-51.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.81 ₽494

$7.42 ₩9,941

-21.70%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ₽258

$4.08 ₩5,470

-25.74%

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

$1.60 ₽136

$1.60 ₩2,141

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₽55.1

$0.80 ₩1,078

-18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 ₽229

$3.65 ₩4,886

-26.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₽344

$5.94 ₩7,956

-31.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₽102

$2.05 ₩2,742

-41.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 ₽54.5

$3.08 ₩4,130

-79.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ₽189

$4.21 ₩5,646

-47.27%

Eggs

$1.59 ₽135

$3.57 ₩4,784

-55.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 ₽995

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-34.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 ₽514

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-43.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.24 ₽956

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-57.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₽161

$7.42 ₩9,946

-74.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 ₽169

$3.53 ₩4,732

-43.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽149

$5.87 ₩7,866

-70.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 ₽295

$6.37 ₩8,534

-45.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ₽61.4

$3.75 ₩5,028

-80.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₽58.6

$2.49 ₩3,337

-72.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 ₽152

$2.92 ₩3,911

-38.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₽55.6

$1.15 ₩1,542

-43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 ₽230

$3.29 ₩4,408

-17.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.17 ₽610

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-61.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ₽86.7

$2.28 ₩3,057

-55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₽162

$3.28 ₩4,398

-42.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₽48.62

$1.14 ₩1,526

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.79 ₽1,344

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-65.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₽102

$3.48 ₩4,663

-65.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 ₽14.94

$0.60 ₩803

-70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ₽758

$8.70 ₩11.7K

2.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 ₽66.8

$1.50 ₩2,004

-47.33%

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

$29.0K ₽2.5M

$29.1K ₩39.0M

-0.38%

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

$36.8K ₽3.1M

$28.2K ₩37.8M

30.55%

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

$118 ₽10.0K

$209 ₩279.9K

-43.69%

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

$5.84 ₽497

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-83.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.41 ₽971

$21.18 ₩28.4K

-46.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.35 ₽2,923

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-40.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.13 ₽1,798

$15.89 ₩21.3K

32.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ₽565

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-41.39%

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

$294 ₽25.0K

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-84.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,121 ₽265.6K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-86.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 ₽4,992

$58.9 ₩78.9K

-0.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.42 ₽1,993

$32.12 ₩43.0K

-27.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₽8,516

$70.1 ₩94.0K

42.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₽9,642

$82.5 ₩110.5K

37.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ₽37.2K

$885 ₩1.2M

-50.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₽26.3K

$624 ₩835.5K

-50.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ₽63.8K

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-69.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 ₽36.8K

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-66.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,712 ₽230.8K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-90.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,807 ₽153.7K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-84.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$752 ₽64.0K

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-79.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.57

4.08

502.21%

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

Last update for Irkutsk: October 5, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Irkutsk

$309 30.7%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 102% $314

Groceries & Markets

Irkutsk

$220 21.9%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 118% $259

Eating Out

Irkutsk

$142 14.1%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 29.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Irkutsk

$135 13.4%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 96.6% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Irkutsk

$133 13.2%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 17.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Irkutsk

$48 4.7%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 67.9% $32

Getting Around

Irkutsk

$20 2%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 180% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $438 in Irkutsk and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 385% 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: $33.00 in Irkutsk vs $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $479 per month, with Irkutsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

1 h ahead of Irkutsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,515

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Irkutsk Seoul 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Irkutsk
Seoul

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Irkutsk vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irkutsk wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Irkutsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 385% 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: $438 in Irkutsk versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $294 in Irkutsk versus $1,902 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 118% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,013 in Irkutsk versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Irkutsk but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Irkutsk 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, Irkutsk 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 Irkutsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.