Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pangyo and Ulsan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulsan: $1,339 a month against $1,468 in Pangyo, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Pangyo
Learn more

Pangyo Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
Learn more

Ulsan Living Index

Jump to prices

Pangyo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,468

/mo nomad

Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pangyo and in Ulsan

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 Ulsan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,468 per month in Pangyo vs $1,339 in Ulsan, rent included.

Pangyo $1,468
Ulsan $1,339

A couple spends around $2,279 per month in Pangyo vs $2,185 in Ulsan, rent included.

Pangyo $2,279
Ulsan $2,185

A family of three spends $3,091 per month in Pangyo vs $3,030 in Ulsan, rent included.

Pangyo $3,091
Ulsan $3,030

Pangyo costs about 10% more than Ulsan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pangyo sits 9% above the global median, while Ulsan is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.24 ₩9,624

$7.62 ₩10.1K

-4.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.02 ₩46.6K

$44.63 ₩59.3K

-21.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 ₩8,950

$5.93 ₩7,882

13.49%

Cappuccino

$3.78 ₩5,025

$3.32 ₩4,410

13.86%

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

$1.59 ₩2,118

$0.88 ₩1,175

80.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₩940

$0.47 ₩619

51.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 ₩4,547

$3.01 ₩4,006

13.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 ₩5,685

$4.38 ₩5,826

-2.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₩2,998

$2.36 ₩3,139

-4.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₩4,015

$3.25 ₩4,315

-7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ₩3,555

$3.16 ₩4,207

-15.51%

Eggs

$2.59 ₩3,450

$2.73 ₩3,634

-5.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 ₩14.7K

$10.88 ₩14.5K

1.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.98 ₩10.6K

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-24.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.67 ₩27.5K

$24.54 ₩32.6K

-15.77%

Apples (1kg)

$7.73 ₩10.3K

$11.39 ₩15.1K

-32.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.45 ₩4,583

$3.74 ₩4,975

-7.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 ₩9,642

$8.09 ₩10.8K

-10.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 ₩7,685

$6.05 ₩8,048

-4.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,784

$6.01 ₩7,992

-40.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₩3,431

$3.26 ₩4,328

-20.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 ₩3,691

$2.89 ₩3,844

-3.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,700

$1.28 ₩1,707

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,385

$3.12 ₩4,154

5.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.39 ₩24.4K

$18.52 ₩24.6K

-0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,047

$2.45 ₩3,264

-6.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₩4,627

$3.44 ₩4,577

1.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,527

$1.14 ₩1,511

0.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.37 ₩64.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 ₩4,412

$2.89 ₩3,849

14.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩884

$0.78 ₩1,040

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.83 ₩17.1K

$16.96 ₩22.6K

-24.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₩1,797

$1.43 ₩1,899

-5.59%

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

$29.8K ₩39.6M

$30.0K ₩39.9M

-0.74%

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

$34.2K ₩45.5M

$34.1K ₩45.4M

0.18%

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

$201 ₩267.4K

$197 ₩261.8K

2.14%

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

$36.58 ₩48.6K

$37.06 ₩49.3K

-1.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.78 ₩29.0K

$27.21 ₩36.2K

-19.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 ₩69.0K

$60.4 ₩80.3K

-14.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 ₩16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$10.30 ₩13.7K

10.58%

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

$520 ₩691.0K

$263 ₩349.3K

97.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ₩29.1M

$22.0K ₩29.3M

-0.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 ₩87.6K

$51.5 ₩68.5K

27.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 ₩83.5K

$45.56 ₩60.6K

37.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 ₩99.4K

$61.0 ₩81.2K

22.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 ₩130.7K

$75.0 ₩99.7K

31.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩636.2K

$373 ₩495.3K

28.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ₩473.1K

$244 ₩324.7K

45.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 ₩1.6M

$761 ₩1.0M

53.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₩983.0K

$648 ₩861.8K

14.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,085 ₩9.4M

$4,483 ₩6.0M

58.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,485 ₩7.3M

$2,479 ₩3.3M

121.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,307 ₩7.1M

$2,331 ₩3.1M

127.62%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pangyo

$424 28.9%

Ulsan

$489 36.5% 15.3% $65

Accommodation & Living

Pangyo

$356 24.3%

Ulsan

$244 18.2% 31.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pangyo

$259 17.7%

Ulsan

$261 19.5% 0.7% $1.7

Eating Out

Pangyo

$158 10.8%

Ulsan

$148 11% 6.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Pangyo

$136 9.3%

Ulsan

$105 7.8% 22.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Pangyo

$75 5.1%

Ulsan

$81 6.1% 8.5% $6.3

Getting Around

Pangyo

$60 4.1%

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9% 81% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Pangyo versus $373 in Ulsan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 128% higher in Pangyo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Pangyo versus $45.00 in Ulsan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $424 vs $489 – making Pangyo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pangyo

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

Same time as Pangyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,129,827

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pangyo Ulsan 290 km

From you

Pangyo
Ulsan

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 Ulsan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pangyo is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,201 per month in Pangyo and $2,009 in Ulsan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulsan, 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 $1,468 in Pangyo and $1,339 in Ulsan. That's a gap of about 10%.

Kindergarten costs $520 per month in Pangyo and $263 in Ulsan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ulsan, where all-in costs run around $1,339, than in Pangyo at $1,468. In Ulsan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pangyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ulsan – 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 Ulsan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pangyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.