Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Philippines and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in the Philippines: $754 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in the Philippines
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Philippines Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇭 Philippines

$754

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: The Philippines is 52.9% cheaper than Seoul without rent, and 58.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: The Philippines is 54.4% cheaper than Seoul without rent, and 59.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ₱256

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-55.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.43 ₱1,344

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-68.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.18 ₱199

$7.42 ₩9,941

-57.14%

Cappuccino

$2.22 ₱139

$4.08 ₩5,470

-45.59%

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

$0.70 ₱43.83

$1.60 ₩2,141

-56.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ₱22.97

$0.80 ₩1,078

-53.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₱81.2

$3.65 ₩4,886

-64.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱126

$5.94 ₩7,956

-66.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₱106

$2.05 ₩2,742

-17.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ₱74.1

$3.08 ₩4,130

-61.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱54.3

$4.21 ₩5,646

-79.33%

Eggs

$1.96 ₱123

$3.57 ₩4,784

-45.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.95 ₱436

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-61.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 ₱269

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-59.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 ₱444

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-73.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ₱182

$7.42 ₩9,946

-60.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₱90.2

$3.53 ₩4,732

-59.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 ₱158

$5.87 ₩7,866

-57.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.4

$6.37 ₩8,534

-76.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 ₱137

$3.75 ₩5,028

-41.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ₱161

$2.49 ₩3,337

2.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₱83.2

$2.92 ₩3,911

-54.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₱40.91

$1.15 ₩1,542

-43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 ₱177

$3.29 ₩4,408

-13.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 ₱389

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-66.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₱73.5

$2.28 ₩3,057

-48.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$3.28 ₩4,398

-47.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱17.68

$1.14 ₩1,526

-75.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.71 ₱797

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-72.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.96

$3.48 ₩4,663

-77.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.43

$0.60 ₩803

-61.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱118

$8.70 ₩11.7K

-78.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ₱72.6

$1.50 ₩2,004

-22.67%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.1K ₩39.0M

-27.15%

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

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-30.89%

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

$103 ₱6,459

$209 ₩279.9K

-50.70%

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

$14.13 ₱886

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-59.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.09 ₱1,699

$21.18 ₩28.4K

27.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.47 ₱1,974

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-45.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.95 ₱373

$15.89 ₩21.3K

-62.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-51.81%

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

$142 ₱8,889

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-92.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,663 ₱355.2K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-74.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.92 ₱2,755

$58.9 ₩78.9K

-25.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.08 ₱1,510

$32.12 ₩43.0K

-25.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 ₱4,210

$70.1 ₩94.0K

-4.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.4 ₱3,789

$82.5 ₩110.5K

-26.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.2K

$885 ₩1.2M

-63.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 ₱11.5K

$624 ₩835.5K

-70.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 ₱40.9K

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-73.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ₱22.2K

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-72.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,998 ₱188.0K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-89.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,394 ₱87.4K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-88.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 ₱19.6K

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-91.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.08

76.47%

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

Last update for the Philippines: October 5, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Philippines

$191 25.5%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 151% $288

Accommodation & Living

Philippines

$184 24.6%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 239% $440

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philippines

$144 19.3%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 83.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Philippines

$88 11.8%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 24.6% $22

Eating Out

Philippines

$84 11.2%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 120% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Philippines

$42 5.7%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 88.7% $38

Getting Around

Philippines

$16 2.1%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 258% $41

Good to know

🇵🇭 Philippines

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

11:25 11:25 AM

1 h ahead of the Philippines

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,035,343

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Philippines Seoul 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Philippines
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

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Cost of Living Comparison Between the Philippines and Seoul

KRW, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Philippines

Seoul

Philippines

Seoul

Philippines vs other spots: cost of living compared

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