Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Magdeburg and Seoul

For one person, living costs are similar in Magdeburg and in Seoul: $1,872 and $1,848 a month, rent and utilities included.

Magdeburg, Germany
Seoul, South Korea
Magdeburg
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,872
/mo nomad
Seoul
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,848
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,872 per month in Magdeburg vs $1,848 in Seoul, rent included.

  • Magdeburg $1,872
  • Seoul $1,848

A couple spends around $2,769 per month in Magdeburg vs $2,986 in Seoul, rent included.

  • Magdeburg $2,769
  • Seoul $2,986

A family of three spends $3,665 per month in Magdeburg vs $4,125 in Seoul, rent included.

  • Magdeburg $3,665
  • Seoul $4,125

Magdeburg and Seoul have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Magdeburg and Seoul sit above the global median – Magdeburg by 38%, Seoul by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Magdeburg
Seoul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.05 €11.64
$9.05 ₩12.1K
44.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €59.1
$68.3 ₩91.7K
-3.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.37 €10.14
$7.35 ₩9,864
54.69%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$4.12 ₩5,527
-24.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 €3.27
$1.64 ₩2,206
123.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.99 €2.67
$0.81 ₩1,082
269.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.41 €3.94
$3.71 ₩4,978
18.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.43 €3.95
$6.13 ₩8,232
-27.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Magdeburg
Seoul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.40 €1.25
$2.04 ₩2,741
-31.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 €1.84
$3.21 ₩4,309
-35.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.96 €3.53
$4.39 ₩5,889
-9.79%
Eggs
$3.85 €3.43
$3.59 ₩4,820
7.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.55 €12.98
$18.23 ₩24.5K
-20.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.88 €9.70
$10.51 ₩14.1K
3.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.84 €21.27
$26.89 ₩36.1K
-11.34%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 €2.90
$7.86 ₩10.5K
-58.65%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 €1.91
$3.53 ₩4,737
-39.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.04 €1.82
$5.70 ₩7,657
-64.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.34 €3.88
$6.18 ₩8,293
-29.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.40 €1.25
$3.76 ₩5,051
-62.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.08 €0.96
$2.51 ₩3,371
-56.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$2.82 ₩3,778
-48.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 €1.44
$1.11 ₩1,489
45.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.76 €8.71
$3.30 ₩4,430
195.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.64 €5.03
$18.64 ₩25.0K
-69.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 €1.09
$2.42 ₩3,246
-49.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 €1.53
$3.36 ₩4,507
-49.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Magdeburg
Seoul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.36 €3.00
$1.19 ₩1,599
182.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.5 €63.8
$46.13 ₩61.9K
54.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$11.38 €10.15
$3.55 ₩4,768
220.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.76 €2.47
$0.60 ₩810
360.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.12 €9.92
$9.08 ₩12.2K
22.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.44 ₩1,930
45.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.3K €29.7K
$30.3K ₩40.6M
9.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.3K
$28.9K ₩38.8M
33.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Magdeburg
Seoul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$431 €384
$213 ₩285.3K
102.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.89 €23.10
$35.83 ₩48.1K
-27.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.07 €33.97
$21.39 ₩28.7K
77.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Magdeburg
Seoul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.13 €34.02
$61.6 ₩82.7K
-38.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$31.92 €28.48
$16.41 ₩22.0K
94.52%
Cinema Ticket
$13.82 €12.33
$11.42 ₩15.3K
21.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Magdeburg
Seoul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$226 €202
$1,948 ₩2.6M
-88.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$22.8K ₩30.6M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Magdeburg
Seoul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.5 €79.9
$59.8 ₩80.2K
49.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.51 €29.90
$34.19 ₩45.9K
-1.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 €95.5
$66.0 ₩88.6K
62.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$166 €148
$81.9 ₩109.9K
102.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Magdeburg
Seoul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$607 €542
$924 ₩1.2M
-34.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$443 €396
$659 ₩884.7K
-32.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,160 €1,035
$3,012 ₩4.0M
-61.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$747 €667
$1,440 ₩1.9M
-48.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,878 €3,460
$27.2K ₩36.5M
-85.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,837 €1,639
$11.3K ₩15.2M
-83.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Magdeburg
Seoul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,733 €2,438
$3,570 ₩4.8M
-23.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.95
4.08
-3.19%

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

Last update for Magdeburg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Magdeburg
$495
Seoul
$270 45.5% $225
Accommodation & Living
Magdeburg
$443
Seoul
$659 48.7% $216
Groceries & Markets
Magdeburg
$347
Seoul
$483 39.5% $137
Eating Out
Magdeburg
$233
Seoul
$184 21% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Magdeburg
$178
Seoul
$109 39% $69
Getting Around
Magdeburg
$110
Seoul
$57 47.8% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Magdeburg
$66
Seoul
$84 28.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $607 in Magdeburg versus $924 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 31% higher in Seoul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Magdeburg versus $68 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $347 vs $483 – making Magdeburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Magdeburg
🇰🇷 Seoul
🕒 Local time
19:25 7:25 PM
03:25 3:25 AM
8 h ahead of Magdeburg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
231,021
9,509,458 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,342 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,498 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.68 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Magdeburg Seoul 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Magdeburg
  • 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
Magdeburg vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What salary covers living expenses in Magdeburg compared to Seoul?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,808 per month in Magdeburg and $2,771 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Magdeburg and Seoul?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Magdeburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $924 in Seoul.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Magdeburg – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Magdeburg and Seoul?
Kindergarten costs $226 per month in Magdeburg and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How does quality of life compare between Magdeburg and Seoul?
It depends on your priorities. Magdeburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,848 in Seoul to $1,872 in Magdeburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Magdeburg or Seoul safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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