Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $2,297 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kingston outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,297 per month in Kingston vs $1,804 in Seoul, rent included.

Kingston $2,297
Seoul $1,804

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Kingston vs $2,877 in Seoul, rent included.

Kingston $3,179
Seoul $2,877

A family of three spends $4,062 per month in Kingston vs $3,950 in Seoul, rent included.

Kingston $4,062
Seoul $3,950

Kingston costs about 27% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kingston and Seoul sit above the global median – Kingston by 70%, Seoul by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.68 CA$22.16

$9.10 ₩12.1K

72.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 CA$89.8

$66.7 ₩88.6K

-4.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 CA$14.87

$7.49 ₩9,959

40.45%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.96

$4.19 ₩5,569

-16.23%

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

$2.10 CA$2.96

$1.55 ₩2,067

35.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 CA$1.85

$0.79 ₩1,055

65.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 CA$7.98

$3.64 ₩4,846

55.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CA$8.75

$6.14 ₩8,164

0.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$2.11 ₩2,811

6.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 CA$3.70

$3.05 ₩4,051

-14.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 CA$4.24

$4.21 ₩5,599

-28.74%

Eggs

$2.93 CA$4.14

$3.54 ₩4,709

-17.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$18.02 ₩24.0K

-42.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 CA$16.63

$10.35 ₩13.8K

13.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 CA$16.04

$26.47 ₩35.2K

-57.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-62.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$3.44 ₩4,578

-66.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$5.64 ₩7,493

-38.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.37

$6.41 ₩8,517

-40.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$3.71 ₩4,938

-19.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 CA$3.57

$2.52 ₩3,345

0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 CA$3.03

$2.87 ₩3,816

-25.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.16 ₩1,536

37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 CA$20.13

$3.37 ₩4,480

322.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 CA$18.01

$18.72 ₩24.9K

-31.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$2.28 ₩3,036

-1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$3.31 ₩4,397

-9.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.44

$1.13 ₩1,497

115.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 CA$81.7

$46.73 ₩62.1K

23.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 CA$4.74

$3.52 ₩4,684

-4.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$0.64 ₩849

120.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.42 CA$45.84

$8.76 ₩11.7K

270.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.59

$1.45 ₩1,930

-22.07%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$29.7K ₩39.4M

-5.92%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-26.11%

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

$130 CA$184

$211 ₩280.4K

-38.26%

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

$39.13 CA$55.3

$35.36 ₩47.0K

10.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 CA$87.1

$20.57 ₩27.4K

199.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.11 CA$41.16

$57.7 ₩76.7K

-49.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 CA$12.38

$16.20 ₩21.5K

-45.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 CA$15.07

$11.37 ₩15.1K

-6.24%

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

$525 CA$742

$1,967 ₩2.6M

-73.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$75.5

$57.5 ₩76.4K

-7.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.73 CA$44.86

$33.08 ₩44.0K

-4.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 CA$111

$70.1 ₩93.2K

11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 CA$116

$84.3 ₩112.0K

-2.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 CA$2,137

$878 ₩1.2M

72.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 CA$1,751

$624 ₩829.7K

98.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,329 CA$3,293

$2,513 ₩3.3M

-7.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 CA$2,380

$1,287 ₩1.7M

30.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,402 CA$4,810

$30.4K ₩40.4M

-88.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,433 CA$3,439

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-79.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,099 CA$4,382

$3,599 ₩4.8M

-13.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

4.08

12.99%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 19, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$1.2K 53.9%

Seoul

$624 34.6% 49.6% $614

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$336 14.6%

Seoul

$480 26.6% 42.8% $144

Eating Out

Kingston

$253 11%

Seoul

$185 10.3% 26.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$231 10.1%

Seoul

$267 14.8% 15.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$110 4.8%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Kingston

$78 3.4%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 25.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$50 2.2%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 59.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,512 in Kingston 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 16% higher in Seoul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Kingston versus $67.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $480 – making Kingston the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kingston

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

09:52 9:52 AM

13 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,363

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 21, 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kingston Seoul 10,620 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
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

Kingston vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,297 in Kingston, $1,804 in Seoul – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,446 per month in Kingston 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 Seoul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,297 in Kingston and $1,804 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 27%.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,804, than in Kingston at $2,297. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – 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 Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.