Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasay and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasay: $907 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
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Pasay Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$907

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $907 per month in Pasay vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Pasay $907
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,237 per month in Pasay vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Pasay $1,237
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $1,567 per month in Pasay vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Pasay $1,567
Seoul $3,931

Pasay is about 49% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ₱277

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.94 ₱1,193

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-72.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-62.33%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ₱142

$4.23 ₩5,624

-46.57%

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

$0.59 ₱37.36

$1.63 ₩2,167

-63.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.20

$0.74 ₩985

-59.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$3.64 ₩4,843

-68.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.3

$6.15 ₩8,175

-74.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₱108

$2.01 ₩2,679

-14.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.4

$3.13 ₩4,164

-63.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.4

$4.32 ₩5,744

-77.55%

Eggs

$1.96 ₱123

$3.61 ₩4,794

-45.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.15 ₱324

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-71.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ₱260

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-60.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 ₱452

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-72.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱141

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-70.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ₱96.4

$3.38 ₩4,499

-54.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$5.81 ₩7,723

-60.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$6.41 ₩8,520

-81.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 ₱149

$3.75 ₩4,983

-36.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 ₱211

$2.54 ₩3,375

31.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$2.84 ₩3,782

-55.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₱55.0

$1.11 ₩1,472

-21.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₱181

$3.35 ₩4,455

-14.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱483

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-58.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱61.7

$2.40 ₩3,185

-59.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₱111

$3.37 ₩4,480

-47.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 ₱10.43

$1.14 ₩1,521

-85.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.72

$3.49 ₩4,643

-77.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.20

$0.63 ₩840

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-78.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.1

$1.51 ₩2,005

-17.88%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-26.49%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-31.79%

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

$139 ₱8,741

$218 ₩289.2K

-36.17%

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

$14.54 ₱916

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-58.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.75 ₱1,558

$21.29 ₩28.3K

16.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.70 ₱3,003

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-17.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$5.26 ₱331

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-53.49%

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

$71.9 ₱4,524

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-96.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,541 ₱160.0K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-88.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.39 ₱2,228

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-37.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.32 ₱1,217

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-42.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₱4,505

$71.5 ₩95.0K

0.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.6 ₱4,004

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-22.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.0K

$901 ₩1.2M

-52.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.7K

$612 ₩813.5K

-48.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 ₱52.1K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-67.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 ₱22.9K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-71.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,891 ₱119.0K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-93.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 ₱36.2K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-95.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$510 ₱32.1K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-86.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

71.57%

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

Last update for Pasay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasay

$313 34.5%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 95.8% $299

Groceries & Markets

Pasay

$186 20.6%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 156% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasay

$178 19.7%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 53.8% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Pasay

$85 9.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 28.7% $25

Eating Out

Pasay

$83 9.2%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 120% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Pasay

$58 6.4%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 38.6% $22

Getting Around

Pasay

$2.5 * 0.3%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 2212% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $429 in Pasay 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.

Salaries run about 616% higher in Seoul, 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 $19.00 in Pasay versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $477 – making Pasay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pasay

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

1 h ahead of Pasay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

416,522

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 = 70.79 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

Pasay Seoul 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pasay
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

Pasay vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $907 in Pasay, $1,794 in Seoul – roughly 98% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,360 per month in Pasay 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 Pasay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Pasay and $68.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 156% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pasay, where all-in costs run around $907, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Pasay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pasay – 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 Pasay. 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.