Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $792 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $792 per month in Palawan vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Palawan $792
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,230 per month in Palawan vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Palawan $1,230
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $1,668 per month in Palawan vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Palawan $1,668
Seoul $3,931

Palawan is about 56% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Palawan sits 41% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 ₱228

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-58.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 ₱1,206

$68.4 ₩91.2K

-72.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.37 ₱212

$7.54 ₩10.1K

-55.31%

Cappuccino

$2.63 ₱166

$4.23 ₩5,644

-37.83%

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

$0.83 ₱52.5

$1.63 ₩2,175

-49.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱24.67

$0.74 ₩988

-47.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₱81.4

$3.64 ₩4,860

-64.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ₱136

$6.15 ₩8,203

-64.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$2.01 ₩2,688

-5.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$3.13 ₩4,178

-59.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$4.32 ₩5,764

-76.62%

Eggs

$1.98 ₱125

$3.61 ₩4,810

-45.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 ₱494

$17.83 ₩23.8K

-56.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱265

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-59.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 ₱490

$25.80 ₩34.4K

-69.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 ₱189

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-60.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.3

$3.38 ₩4,514

-53.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 ₱172

$5.81 ₩7,750

-53.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₱102

$6.41 ₩8,549

-74.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$3.75 ₩5,000

-38.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ₱163

$2.54 ₩3,387

1.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₱67.0

$2.84 ₩3,796

-62.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱44.88

$1.11 ₩1,477

-36.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 ₱175

$3.35 ₩4,470

-17.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 ₱431

$18.49 ₩24.7K

-62.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.5

$2.40 ₩3,196

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱128

$3.37 ₩4,495

-39.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱17.82

$1.14 ₩1,526

-75.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.29 ₱711

$46.11 ₩61.5K

-75.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₱52.5

$3.49 ₩4,660

-76.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.21

$0.63 ₩843

-61.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₱136

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-75.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱69.3

$1.51 ₩2,012

-27.15%

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

$26.5K ₱1.7M

$29.3K ₩39.1M

-9.47%

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

$20.1K ₱1.3M

$28.2K ₩37.6M

-28.89%

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

$114 ₱7,187

$218 ₩290.2K

-47.55%

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

$32.54 ₱2,050

$35.15 ₩46.9K

-7.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.55 ₱1,735

$21.29 ₩28.4K

29.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 ₱2,172

$58.1 ₩77.5K

-40.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.36 ₱275

$16.10 ₩21.5K

-72.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.80 ₱365

$11.31 ₩15.1K

-48.72%

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

$150 ₱9,468

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-92.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,228 ₱266.3K

$22.9K ₩30.5M

-81.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 ₱2,840

$57.0 ₩76.1K

-20.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.54 ₱1,672

$33.39 ₩44.5K

-20.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 ₱4,715

$71.5 ₩95.4K

4.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 ₱3,379

$82.5 ₩110.1K

-35.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₱16.7K

$901 ₩1.2M

-70.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.1K

$612 ₩816.3K

-71.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₱37.1K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-76.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱24.6K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-69.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,359 ₱148.6K

$29.4K ₩39.3M

-91.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$994 ₱62.6K

$11.9K ₩15.9M

-91.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

4.08

63.48%

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

Last update for Palawan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palawan

$204 25.7%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 134% $273

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$177 22.4%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 246% $435

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$174 22%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 57.3% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$90 11.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 22.2% $20

Eating Out

Palawan

$86 10.9%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 113% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$46 5.8%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 75.1% $35

Getting Around

Palawan

$14 1.8%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 297% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Palawan versus $901 in Seoul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Palawan versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $477 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h ahead of Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

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 = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palawan Seoul 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
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

Palawan vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,187 per month in Palawan and $2,692 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $150 per month in Palawan and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 134% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Palawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palawan – 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 Palawan. 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.