Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quezon City and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $855 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
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Quezon City Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$855

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $855 per month in Quezon City vs $1,822 in Seoul, rent included.

Quezon City $855
Seoul $1,822

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Quezon City vs $2,847 in Seoul, rent included.

Quezon City $1,385
Seoul $2,847

A family of three spends $1,916 per month in Quezon City vs $3,872 in Seoul, rent included.

Quezon City $1,916
Seoul $3,872

Quezon City is about 53% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Quezon City sits 36% below the global median, while Seoul is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ₱279

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-51.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.78 ₱1,178

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-71.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.86 ₱179

$7.42 ₩9,941

-61.46%

Cappuccino

$2.77 ₱174

$4.08 ₩5,470

-32.11%

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

$0.69 ₱43.17

$1.60 ₩2,141

-56.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₱18.35

$0.80 ₩1,078

-63.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ₱92.5

$3.65 ₩4,886

-59.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₱171

$5.94 ₩7,956

-54.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₱107

$2.05 ₩2,742

-16.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$3.08 ₩4,130

-62.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 ₱53.0

$4.21 ₩5,646

-79.81%

Eggs

$1.76 ₱110

$3.57 ₩4,784

-50.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.83 ₱428

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-61.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 ₱269

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-59.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 ₱457

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-72.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 ₱241

$7.42 ₩9,946

-48.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ₱88.9

$3.53 ₩4,732

-59.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 ₱224

$5.87 ₩7,866

-39.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₱71.3

$6.37 ₩8,534

-82.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 ₱150

$3.75 ₩5,028

-36.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ₱217

$2.49 ₩3,337

38.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ₱86.3

$2.92 ₩3,911

-52.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$1.15 ₩1,542

-15.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ₱178

$3.29 ₩4,408

-13.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.62 ₱478

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-58.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱81.4

$2.28 ₩3,057

-42.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ₱110

$3.28 ₩4,398

-46.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₱24.91

$1.14 ₩1,526

-64.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.79 ₱1,179

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-58.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱47.86

$3.48 ₩4,663

-78.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$0.60 ₩803

-65.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 ₱155

$8.70 ₩11.7K

-71.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱74.4

$1.50 ₩2,004

-20.67%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$29.1K ₩39.0M

-27.77%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-32.95%

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

$165 ₱10.3K

$209 ₩279.9K

-21.23%

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

$14.28 ₱896

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-59.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.21 ₱1,518

$21.18 ₩28.4K

14.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.71 ₱2,365

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-34.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.41 ₱214

$15.89 ₩21.3K

-78.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₱453

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-36.28%

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

$73.1 ₱4,583

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-96.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,472 ₱155.1K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-89.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.88 ₱2,250

$58.9 ₩78.9K

-39.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.30 ₱1,398

$32.12 ₩43.0K

-30.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 ₱4,989

$70.1 ₩94.0K

13.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 ₱4,729

$82.5 ₩110.5K

-8.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$314 ₱19.7K

$885 ₩1.2M

-64.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ₱11.9K

$624 ₩835.5K

-69.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₱46.8K

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-70.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ₱32.6K

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-59.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,326 ₱145.9K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-92.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,421 ₱89.1K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-88.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$440 ₱27.6K

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-87.93%

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 Quezon City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Quezon City

$207 23.9%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 131% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quezon City

$203 23.5%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 30.6% $62

Accommodation & Living

Quezon City

$190 22%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 228% $433

Clothing & Footwear

Quezon City

$96 11.1%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 14.3% $14

Eating Out

Quezon City

$94 10.9%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 95% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Quezon City

$52 6%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 53.4% $28

Getting Around

Quezon City

$22 2.6%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 155% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $314 in Quezon City versus $885 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 728% 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 Quezon City versus $67.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $479 – making Quezon City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

1 h ahead of Quezon City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,936,116

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quezon City Seoul 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Quezon City
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

Quezon City vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 113% more than Quezon City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,282 per month in Quezon City and $2,733 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quezon City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $73.1 per month in Quezon City and $1,902 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 131% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quezon City, where all-in costs run around $855, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Quezon City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quezon City costs $855 versus $1,822 in Seoul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Quezon City. 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.