Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pampanga and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Pampanga: $683 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Pampanga
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Pampanga Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Pampanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$683

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $683 in Pampanga versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Pampanga $683
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,034 in Pampanga versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Pampanga $1,034
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,385 in Pampanga versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Pampanga $1,385
Seoul $3,931

Living in Pampanga costs roughly 62% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pampanga is 49% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ₱173

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-68.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.91 ₱1,001

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-76.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.28 ₱206

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-56.50%

Cappuccino

$2.17 ₱136

$4.23 ₩5,624

-48.70%

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

$0.61 ₱38.47

$1.63 ₩2,167

-62.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.69

$0.74 ₩985

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ₱74.3

$3.64 ₩4,843

-67.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱126

$6.15 ₩8,175

-67.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$2.01 ₩2,679

-28.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.2

$3.13 ₩4,164

-64.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₱49.42

$4.32 ₩5,744

-81.94%

Eggs

$1.50 ₱94.1

$3.61 ₩4,794

-58.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.10 ₱258

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-77.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.90 ₱183

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-72.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 ₱401

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-75.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₱117

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-75.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ₱58.4

$3.38 ₩4,499

-72.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ₱134

$5.81 ₩7,723

-63.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.2

$6.41 ₩8,520

-83.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ₱92.2

$3.75 ₩4,983

-61.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ₱95.3

$2.54 ₩3,375

-40.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ₱52.0

$2.84 ₩3,782

-70.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱34.11

$1.11 ₩1,472

-51.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.94 ₱122

$3.35 ₩4,455

-42.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 ₱377

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-67.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱43.99

$2.40 ₩3,185

-70.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 ₱78.1

$3.37 ₩4,480

-63.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.52

$1.14 ₩1,521

-77.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ₱715

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-75.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.64

$3.49 ₩4,643

-78.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.49

$0.63 ₩840

-63.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 ₱109

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-80.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₱66.3

$1.51 ₩2,005

-30.46%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-36.15%

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

$17.6K ₱1.1M

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-37.73%

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

$131 ₱8,249

$218 ₩289.2K

-39.76%

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

$14.96 ₱942

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-57.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.08 ₱1,768

$21.29 ₩28.3K

31.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.56 ₱1,861

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-49.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.82 ₱303

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-70.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ₱306

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-57.03%

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

$131 ₱8,262

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-93.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,954 ₱500.8K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-65.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 ₱1,682

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-53.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.85 ₱1,250

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-40.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ₱4,521

$71.5 ₩95.0K

0.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.39 ₱2,354

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-54.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 ₱16.9K

$901 ₩1.2M

-70.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 ₱10.7K

$612 ₩813.5K

-72.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 ₱32.5K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-79.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 ₱23.4K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-70.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,405 ₱151.4K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-91.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$992 ₱62.5K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-91.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$299 ₱18.8K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-91.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.08

66.42%

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

Last update for Pampanga: October 10, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pampanga

$174 25.5%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 57.4% $100

Accommodation & Living

Pampanga

$170 24.9%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 260% $442

Groceries & Markets

Pampanga

$144 21.1%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 231% $333

Eating Out

Pampanga

$71 10.5%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 157% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Pampanga

$70 10.3%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 56.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Pampanga

$39 5.8%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 105% $41

Getting Around

Pampanga

$14 2.1%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 301% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $268 in Pampanga and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1122% 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: $16.00 in Pampanga vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $144 vs $477 per month, with Pampanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pampanga

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

1 h ahead of Pampanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,616

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 17, 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 17, 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

Pampanga Seoul 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pampanga
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

Pampanga vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pampanga wins on cost – living expenses run 163% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pampanga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1122% 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: $268 in Pampanga versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $131 in Pampanga versus $1,948 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 231% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $683 in Pampanga versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pampanga but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Pampanga 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, Pampanga 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 Pampanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 163% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.