Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohang and Nara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,215 a month against $1,362 in Pohang, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
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Pohang Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
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Nara Living Index

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Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pohang and in Nara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,362 in Pohang versus $1,215 in Nara.

Pohang $1,362
Nara $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,682 in Pohang versus $1,828 in Nara.

Pohang $1,682
Nara $1,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,002 in Pohang versus $2,442 in Nara.

Pohang $2,002
Nara $2,442

Living in Pohang is roughly 12% more expensive than in Nara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pohang is 1% above, Nara is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.91 ₩7,857

$6.40 ¥1,011

-7.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.55 ₩30.0K

$31.96 ¥5,049

-29.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 ₩8,675

$5.10 ¥805

27.84%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$2.48 ¥392

21.77%

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

$1.48 ₩1,967

$1.30 ¥206

13.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₩710

$0.75 ¥119

-29.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,836

$3.10 ¥489

17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,062

$3.06 ¥483

24.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,142

$1.50 ¥238

57.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,319

$1.34 ¥211

142.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 ₩1,940

$4.05 ¥640

-63.95%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$2.13 ¥336

28.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₩14.6K

$9.60 ¥1,517

14.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₩13.8K

$7.01 ¥1,108

47.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.86 ₩33.1K

$17.82 ¥2,815

39.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₩2,929

$3.41 ¥539

-35.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.61 ₩4,798

$1.99 ¥315

81.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.01 ¥317

293.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 ₩3,879

$4.01 ¥633

-27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$5.00 ₩6,653

$1.57 ¥248

218.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 ₩4,532

$1.16 ¥184

193.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 ₩3,015

$1.12 ¥177

102.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,785

$0.81 ¥128

65.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,407

$3.82 ¥604

-13.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₩8,631

$9.49 ¥1,500

-31.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₩2,031

$1.93 ¥305

-20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₩4,638

$2.13 ¥337

63.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 ¥245

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 ¥11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ₩4,388

$3.23 ¥510

2.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₩766

$2.83 ¥447

-79.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 ₩22.1K

$15.70 ¥2,480

5.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,647

$1.11 ¥175

11.71%

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

$29.5K ₩39.2M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

34.72%

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

$28.4K ₩37.8M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

90.69%

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

$102 ₩136.1K

$115 ¥18.2K

-11.29%

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

$36.26 ₩48.2K

$24.28 ¥3,836

49.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.84 ₩35.7K

$30.63 ¥4,840

-12.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.38 ₩40.4K

$82.2 ¥13.0K

-63.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ₩9,884

$7.44 ¥1,176

-0.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.1K

$11.85 ¥1,872

-3.97%

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

$637 ₩847.5K

$511 ¥80.8K

24.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.0M

$12.8K ¥2.0M

69.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩139.2K

$48.43 ¥7,652

116.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 ₩85.5K

$30.90 ¥4,882

108.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 ₩122.9K

$59.5 ¥9,398

55.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₩147.9K

$88.7 ¥14.0K

25.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₩594.3K

$333 ¥52.7K

34.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ¥128.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥86.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,669 ¥421.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,990 ₩4.0M

$1,959 ¥309.5K

52.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,240 ₩3.0M

$1,110 ¥175.3K

101.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

2.02

108.91%

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

Last update for Pohang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohang

$447 32.8%

Nara

$333 27.4% 25.4% $114

Groceries & Markets

Pohang

$386 28.3%

Nara

$282 23.2% 27% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Pohang

$168 12.3%

Nara

$102 8.4% 39% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohang

$165 12.2%

Nara

$170 14% 2.9% $4.9

Eating Out

Pohang

$137 10.1%

Nara

$126 10.4% 7.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Pohang

$53 3.9%

Nara

$106 8.7% 99.3% $53

Getting Around

Pohang

$6.2 * 0.5%

Nara

$96 7.9% 1446% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

Pohang pays 102% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Pohang vs $32.00 in Nara. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $282, with Nara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pohang

🇯🇵 Nara

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

Same time as Pohang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

514,869

355,280

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pohang Nara 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pohang
Nara

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

Pohang vs Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 102% higher in Pohang, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Pohang. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,362 per month in Pohang versus $1,215 in Nara – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,215 in Nara versus $1,362 in Pohang, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nara but tight or insufficient in Pohang. The gap between the two cities makes Nara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Pohang and Nara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Pohang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.