Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pangyo and Gyeongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeongju: $1,227 a month against $1,467 in Pangyo, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Pangyo, South Korea
Gyeongju, South Korea
Pangyo
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,467
/mo nomad
Gyeongju
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,227
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pangyo and in Gyeongju

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pangyo and in Gyeongju actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,467 per month in Pangyo vs $1,227 in Gyeongju, rent included.

  • Pangyo $1,467
  • Gyeongju $1,227

A couple spends around $2,284 per month in Pangyo vs $2,008 in Gyeongju, rent included.

  • Pangyo $2,284
  • Gyeongju $2,008

A family of three spends $3,102 per month in Pangyo vs $2,788 in Gyeongju, rent included.

  • Pangyo $3,102
  • Gyeongju $2,788

Pangyo costs about 20% more than Gyeongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pangyo sits 8% above the global median, while Gyeongju is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pangyo
Gyeongju
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.37 ₩9,877
$7.65 ₩10.2K
-3.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.34 ₩47.4K
$49.45 ₩66.3K
-28.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.76 ₩9,066
$6.60 ₩8,848
2.42%
Cappuccino
$3.75 ₩5,028
$3.05 ₩4,092
22.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ₩2,072
$1.10 ₩1,477
40.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 ₩954
$0.36 ₩485
97.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.58 ₩4,804
$2.68 ₩3,592
33.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 ₩6,140
$4.23 ₩5,663
8.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pangyo
Gyeongju
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.22 ₩2,975
$2.25 ₩3,018
-1.33%
White Bread (500g)
$3.14 ₩4,209
$2.53 ₩3,392
24.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.66 ₩3,562
$3.07 ₩4,114
-13.36%
Eggs
$2.73 ₩3,661
$2.65 ₩3,554
3.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.04 ₩14.8K
$11.17 ₩15.0K
-1.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.74 ₩10.4K
$10.46 ₩14.0K
-26.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.46 ₩27.4K
$19.08 ₩25.6K
7.23%
Apples (1kg)
$7.46 ₩9,996
$4.61 ₩6,185
61.82%
Banana (1kg)
$3.31 ₩4,437
$2.69 ₩3,604
23.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.59 ₩8,833
$3.86 ₩5,168
70.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.98 ₩8,019
$3.68 ₩4,933
62.50%
Potato (1kg)
$3.60 ₩4,825
$2.61 ₩3,504
37.93%
Onion (1kg)
$2.62 ₩3,513
$2.28 ₩3,057
14.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.73 ₩3,661
$2.24 ₩3,002
21.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 ₩1,793
$1.29 ₩1,726
3.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.29 ₩4,404
$3.32 ₩4,444
-0.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.41 ₩24.7K
$15.13 ₩20.3K
21.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 ₩2,987
$1.16 ₩1,549
92.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 ₩4,576
$2.29 ₩3,068
48.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Pangyo
Gyeongju
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₩1,499
$1.02 ₩1,373
9.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.28 ₩66.1K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.52 ₩4,717
$2.98 ₩3,994
18.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.67 ₩895
$0.78 ₩1,042
-14.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.26 ₩12.4K
$16.95 ₩22.7K
-45.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 ₩1,804
$1.07 ₩1,435
26.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K ₩39.4M
$40.1K ₩53.7M
-26.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K ₩45.4M
$33.3K ₩44.7M
1.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pangyo
Gyeongju
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$209 ₩279.8K
$81.2 ₩108.8K
157.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.82 ₩49.4K
$35.92 ₩48.1K
2.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.24 ₩28.5K
$27.37 ₩36.7K
-22.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pangyo
Gyeongju
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.4 ₩74.3K
$55.1 ₩73.8K
0.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.90 ₩18.6K
$13.94 ₩18.7K
-0.29%
Cinema Ticket
$11.11 ₩14.9K
$11.09 ₩14.9K
0.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pangyo
Gyeongju
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$381 ₩510.2K
$633 ₩848.8K
-39.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.5K ₩28.9M
$22.0K ₩29.6M
-2.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pangyo
Gyeongju
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.1 ₩83.3K
$44.48 ₩59.6K
39.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.4 ₩82.3K
$22.62 ₩30.3K
171.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.7 ₩100.1K
$93.1 ₩124.8K
-19.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.8 ₩133.7K
$130 ₩174.4K
-23.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pangyo
Gyeongju
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$493 ₩661.2K
$490 ₩657.0K
0.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$348 ₩466.7K
$354 ₩475.0K
-1.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,157 ₩1.6M
$1,170 ₩1.6M
-1.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$742 ₩994.7K
$739 ₩991.0K
0.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,115 ₩9.5M
$7,222 ₩9.7M
-1.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,495 ₩7.4M
$5,555 ₩7.4M
-1.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pangyo
Gyeongju
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,227 ₩7.0M
$1,898 ₩2.5M
175.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.1
4.22
-2.84%

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

Last update for Pangyo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Gyeongju: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Pangyo
$420
Gyeongju
$364 13.2% $55
Accommodation & Living
Pangyo
$348
Gyeongju
$354 1.8% $6.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pangyo
$267
Gyeongju
$144 45.9% $122
Eating Out
Pangyo
$160
Gyeongju
$145 9.4% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Pangyo
$134
Gyeongju
$131 2.5% $3.4
Sport & Entertainment
Pangyo
$78
Gyeongju
$77 0.5% $0.4
Getting Around
Pangyo
$61
Gyeongju
$11 * 81.9% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $493 in Pangyo versus $490 in Gyeongju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Pangyo are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Pangyo versus $49 in Gyeongju. Groceries tell a different story – $420 in Pangyo vs $364 in Gyeongju – so Gyeongju wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Pangyo
🇰🇷 Gyeongju
🕒 Local time
13:58 1:58 PM
13:58 1:58 PM
Same time as Pangyo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
258,156
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Pangyo Gyeongju 260 km
From you
  • Pangyo
  • Gyeongju

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
Pangyo vs Gyeongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gyeongju cheaper than Pangyo?
Yes – Pangyo is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,201 per month in Pangyo and $1,841 in Gyeongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Pangyo and Gyeongju?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $493 in Pangyo and $490 in Gyeongju. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
What are total monthly expenses in Pangyo and in Gyeongju?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,467 in Pangyo and $1,227 in Gyeongju. That makes Gyeongju about 16% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $381 per month in Pangyo and $633 in Gyeongju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is safer, Pangyo or Gyeongju?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Gyeongju. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pangyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Pangyo vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?