Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Manila: $931 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$931

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $931 per month in Manila vs $1,822 in Seoul, rent included.

Manila $931
Seoul $1,822

A couple spends around $1,519 per month in Manila vs $2,847 in Seoul, rent included.

Manila $1,519
Seoul $2,847

A family of three spends $2,106 per month in Manila vs $3,872 in Seoul, rent included.

Manila $2,106
Seoul $3,872

Manila is about 49% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Manila sits 31% below the global median, while Seoul is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.61 ₱352

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-38.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.39 ₱1,718

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-59.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ₱248

$7.42 ₩9,941

-46.77%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$4.08 ₩5,470

-37.25%

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

$1.42 ₱89.1

$1.60 ₩2,141

-11.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₱50.9

$0.80 ₩1,078

1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.2

$3.65 ₩4,886

-67.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱148

$5.94 ₩7,956

-60.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 ₱122

$2.05 ₩2,742

-5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ₱88.0

$3.08 ₩4,130

-54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$4.21 ₩5,646

-75.77%

Eggs

$2.29 ₱144

$3.57 ₩4,784

-35.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 ₱493

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-56.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 ₱307

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-54.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.77 ₱425

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-74.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ₱212

$7.42 ₩9,946

-54.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₱116

$3.53 ₩4,732

-47.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ₱186

$5.87 ₩7,866

-49.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 ₱112

$6.37 ₩8,534

-71.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ₱140

$3.75 ₩5,028

-40.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ₱168

$2.49 ₩3,337

8.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 ₱138

$2.92 ₩3,911

-24.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.25

$1.15 ₩1,542

-48.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.13 ₱196

$3.29 ₩4,408

-4.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.42 ₱591

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-49.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₱83.3

$2.28 ₩3,057

-41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱125

$3.28 ₩4,398

-39.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₱29.46

$1.14 ₩1,526

-58.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.58 ₱789

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-72.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.77

$3.48 ₩4,663

-77.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.43

$0.60 ₩803

-61.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$8.70 ₩11.7K

-77.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.50 ₩2,004

-11.33%

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

$21.3K ₱1.3M

$29.1K ₩39.0M

-26.72%

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

$19.7K ₱1.2M

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-30.17%

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

$121 ₱7,614

$209 ₩279.9K

-41.88%

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

$16.04 ₱1,006

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-54.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.25 ₱1,521

$21.18 ₩28.4K

14.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.44 ₱2,724

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-24.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.90 ₱370

$15.89 ₩21.3K

-62.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.63 ₱416

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-41.48%

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

$613 ₱38.4K

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-67.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,953 ₱561.6K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-60.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.2 ₱3,647

$58.9 ₩78.9K

-1.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.18 ₱1,704

$32.12 ₩43.0K

-15.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ₱4,862

$70.1 ₩94.0K

10.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 ₱3,574

$82.5 ₩110.5K

-30.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 ₱33.5K

$885 ₩1.2M

-39.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 ₱18.0K

$624 ₩835.5K

-53.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,916 ₱120.2K

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-23.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₱42.5K

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-46.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,439 ₱278.4K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-85.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,556 ₱160.3K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-78.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$485 ₱30.4K

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-86.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

4.08

82.11%

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

Last update for Manila: October 4, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$287 30.2%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 117% $337

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$221 23.3%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 116% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$162 17%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 64% $103

Eating Out

Manila

$107 11.3%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 71.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$99 10.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 10.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$57 6%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 41.1% $23

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 245% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $534 in Manila versus $885 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 652% 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 $27.00 in Manila versus $67.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $221 vs $479 – making Manila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

12:40 12:40 PM

1 h ahead of Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manila Seoul 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Manila
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

Manila vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $931 in Manila, $1,822 in Seoul – roughly 96% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,396 per month in Manila and $2,733 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manila, 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 $931 in Manila and $1,822 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 96%.

Public transport costs about 261% less in Manila. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Manila, where all-in costs run around $931, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Manila it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Manila has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $931 in Manila to $1,822 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 Manila. 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.