Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Naga and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Naga: $558 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Naga
Learn more

Naga Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Naga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$558

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $558 in Naga versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Naga $558
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $852 in Naga versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Naga $852
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,147 in Naga versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Naga $1,147
Seoul $3,931

Living in Naga costs roughly 69% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Naga is 59% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.26 ₱331

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-40.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.42 ₱845

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-80.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.70 ₱170

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-64.19%

Cappuccino

$2.67 ₱168

$4.23 ₩5,624

-36.88%

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

$0.71 ₱44.50

$1.63 ₩2,167

-56.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₱15.80

$0.74 ₩985

-66.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 ₱83.3

$3.64 ₩4,843

-63.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ₱197

$6.15 ₩8,175

-48.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱123

$2.01 ₩2,679

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 ₱53.3

$3.13 ₩4,164

-72.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₱51.7

$4.32 ₩5,744

-81.02%

Eggs

$1.70 ₱107

$3.61 ₩4,794

-52.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ₱642

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-42.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ₱256

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-61.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.99 ₱440

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-72.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ₱125

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-74.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱102

$3.38 ₩4,499

-51.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ₱154

$5.81 ₩7,723

-58.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 ₱153

$6.41 ₩8,520

-62.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 ₱162

$3.75 ₩4,983

-31.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 ₱140

$2.54 ₩3,375

-12.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.76 ₱300

$2.84 ₩3,782

67.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.28

$1.11 ₩1,472

-44.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$3.35 ₩4,455

-13.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.77 ₱237

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-79.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₱101

$2.40 ₩3,185

-32.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 ₱36.08

$3.49 ₩4,643

-83.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$1.51 ₩2,005

-16.56%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

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

$99.1 ₱6,242

$218 ₩289.2K

-54.42%

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

$23.41 ₱1,474

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-33.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.23 ₱1,651

$21.29 ₩28.3K

23.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$8.07 ₱508

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-86.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 ₱302

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-57.56%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,052 ₱507.0K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-64.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$158 ₱9,919

$901 ₩1.2M

-82.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.9 ₱5,411

$612 ₩813.5K

-85.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱15.8K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-90.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 ₱12.2K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-84.70%

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)

$145 ₱9,126

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-96.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

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

Last update for Naga: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Naga

$206 * 36.9%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 132% $271

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Naga

$149 26.7%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 84.2% $125

Eating Out

Naga

$99 17.7%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 85.7% $85

Accommodation & Living

Naga

$86 15.4%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 612% $526

Sport & Entertainment

Naga

$18 3.2%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 357% $63

Getting Around

Naga

$0.6 * 0.1%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 9958% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Naga

- * 0%

Seoul

$110 6.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $158 in Naga and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 2418% 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: $13.00 in Naga vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $477 per month, with Naga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Naga

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

1 h ahead of Naga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,750

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Naga Seoul 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Naga
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

Naga vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Naga and Seoul differ by about 222% in total monthly costs ($558 vs $1,794 including rent). Naga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2418% 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: $158 in Naga versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Naga – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $558 per month in Naga versus $1,794 in Seoul – a 222% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $558 in Naga versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Naga but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Naga 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, Naga 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 Naga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 222% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.