Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pangasinan and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Pangasinan: $785 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Pangasinan
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Pangasinan Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Pangasinan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$785

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $785 per month in Pangasinan vs $1,804 in Seoul, rent included.

Pangasinan $785
Seoul $1,804

A couple spends around $1,175 per month in Pangasinan vs $2,877 in Seoul, rent included.

Pangasinan $1,175
Seoul $2,877

A family of three spends $1,566 per month in Pangasinan vs $3,950 in Seoul, rent included.

Pangasinan $1,566
Seoul $3,950

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

Pangasinan sits 42% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.20 ₱75.8

$9.10 ₩12.1K

-86.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.70 ₱862

$66.7 ₩88.6K

-79.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.00 ₱252

$7.49 ₩9,959

-46.60%

Cappuccino

$2.55 ₱160

$4.19 ₩5,569

-39.14%

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

$1.08 ₱68.0

$1.55 ₩2,067

-30.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.62

$0.79 ₩1,055

-32.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ₱52.3

$3.64 ₩4,846

-77.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 ₱198

$6.14 ₩8,164

-48.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 ₱68.9

$2.11 ₩2,811

-48.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 ₱52.0

$3.05 ₩4,051

-72.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ₱45.61

$4.21 ₩5,599

-82.90%

Eggs

$2.49 ₱157

$3.54 ₩4,709

-29.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.03 ₱442

$18.02 ₩24.0K

-60.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 ₱303

$10.35 ₩13.8K

-53.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.01 ₱441

$26.47 ₩35.2K

-73.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-70.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 ₱122

$3.44 ₩4,578

-43.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 ₱198

$5.64 ₩7,493

-44.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 ₱151

$6.41 ₩8,517

-62.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 ₱225

$3.71 ₩4,938

-3.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ₱217

$2.52 ₩3,345

36.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₱70.0

$2.87 ₩3,816

-61.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₱36.27

$1.16 ₩1,536

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 ₱169

$3.37 ₩4,480

-20.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₱494

$18.72 ₩24.9K

-58.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$2.28 ₩3,036

-42.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₱130

$3.31 ₩4,397

-37.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.50

$1.13 ₩1,497

-76.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.24 ₱708

$46.73 ₩62.1K

-75.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₱41.59

$3.52 ₩4,684

-81.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.50

$0.64 ₩849

-64.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱121

$8.76 ₩11.7K

-77.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ₱58.1

$1.45 ₩1,930

-36.55%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.7K ₩39.4M

-28.50%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-31.63%

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

$153 ₱9,648

$211 ₩280.4K

-27.32%

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

$15.75 ₱992

$35.36 ₩47.0K

-55.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.66 ₱1,993

$20.57 ₩27.4K

53.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.52 ₱2,048

$57.7 ₩76.7K

-43.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.58 ₱288

$16.20 ₩21.5K

-71.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 ₱445

$11.37 ₩15.1K

-37.82%

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

$132 ₱8,330

$1,967 ₩2.6M

-93.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,373 ₱464.2K

$22.8K ₩30.3M

-67.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.82 ₱2,066

$57.5 ₩76.4K

-42.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.88 ₱1,252

$33.08 ₩44.0K

-39.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 ₱5,049

$70.1 ₩93.2K

14.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,444

$84.3 ₩112.0K

-35.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 ₱16.7K

$878 ₩1.2M

-69.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 ₱10.6K

$624 ₩829.7K

-72.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 ₱32.6K

$2,513 ₩3.3M

-79.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ₱22.7K

$1,287 ₩1.7M

-72.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,394 ₱150.7K

$30.4K ₩40.4M

-92.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$986 ₱62.1K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-91.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

4.08

83.82%

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

Last update for Pangasinan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pangasinan

$201 25.7%

Seoul

$480 26.6% 138% $278

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pangasinan

$201 25.6%

Seoul

$267 14.8% 33% $66

Accommodation & Living

Pangasinan

$169 21.5%

Seoul

$624 34.6% 269% $455

Clothing & Footwear

Pangasinan

$84 10.8%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 30.5% $26

Eating Out

Pangasinan

$69 8.8%

Seoul

$185 10.3% 168% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Pangasinan

$47 5.9%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 72.4% $34

Getting Around

Pangasinan

$14 1.8%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 311% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $265 in Pangasinan versus $878 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 $14.00 in Pangasinan versus $67.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $480 – making Pangasinan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pangasinan

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

01:16 1:16 AM

1 h ahead of Pangasinan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,188,540

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 20, 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 20, 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

Pangasinan Seoul 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pangasinan
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

Pangasinan vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 130%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,178 per month in Pangasinan and $2,707 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pangasinan, 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 $785 in Pangasinan and $1,804 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 130%.

Public transport costs about 316% less in Pangasinan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pangasinan, where all-in costs run around $785, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Pangasinan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pangasinan – 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 Pangasinan. 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.