Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samarinda and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarinda: $647 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Samarinda
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Samarinda Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Samarinda

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$647

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Samarinda vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Samarinda $647
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,021 per month in Samarinda vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Samarinda $1,021
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $1,395 per month in Samarinda vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Samarinda $1,395
Seoul $3,931

Samarinda is about 64% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Samarinda sits 52% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-80.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.69 Rp 246.4K

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-79.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.35 Rp 60.2K

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-55.57%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

$4.23 ₩5,624

-63.83%

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

$0.44 Rp 7,903

$1.63 ₩2,167

-73.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,499

$0.74 ₩985

-66.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$3.64 ₩4,843

-37.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

$6.15 ₩8,175

-43.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$2.01 ₩2,679

-46.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$3.13 ₩4,164

-73.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

$4.32 ₩5,744

-83.56%

Eggs

$1.40 Rp 25.3K

$3.61 ₩4,794

-61.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 Rp 129.9K

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-59.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 65.0K

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-65.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 Rp 180.7K

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-61.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 Rp 92.4K

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-32.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$3.38 ₩4,499

-67.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

$5.81 ₩7,723

-81.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.5K

$6.41 ₩8,520

-77.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$3.75 ₩4,983

-64.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$2.54 ₩3,375

-30.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 Rp 13.6K

$2.84 ₩3,782

-73.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,097

$1.11 ₩1,472

-54.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

$3.35 ₩4,455

-37.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.04 Rp 378.7K

$18.49 ₩24.6K

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 Rp 28.8K

$2.40 ₩3,185

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 Rp 45.4K

$3.37 ₩4,480

-25.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 Rp 5,403

$1.14 ₩1,521

-73.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,935

$3.49 ₩4,643

-85.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,183

$0.63 ₩840

-46.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 Rp 48.0K

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-69.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.51 ₩2,005

-46.36%

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

$26.8K Rp 482.4M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-8.44%

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

$31.1K Rp 559.1M

$28.2K ₩37.5M

10.12%

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

$67.2 Rp 1.2M

$218 ₩289.2K

-69.09%

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

$4.75 Rp 85.5K

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-86.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.78 Rp 338.0K

$21.29 ₩28.3K

-11.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.72 Rp 354.9K

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-66.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 Rp 160.9K

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-44.47%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-75.69%

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

$89.9 Rp 1.6M

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-95.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,095 Rp 145.7M

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-64.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.77 Rp 859.9K

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-16.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.33 Rp 582.0K

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-3.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 Rp 1.4M

$71.5 ₩95.0K

7.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 Rp 1.3M

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-10.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$195 Rp 3.5M

$901 ₩1.2M

-78.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$612 ₩813.5K

-75.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 Rp 8.8M

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-80.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 Rp 6.1M

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-73.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,107 Rp 19.9M

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-96.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$730 Rp 13.1M

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-93.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 Rp 6.0M

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-90.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

4.08

131.86%

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

Last update for Samarinda: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Samarinda

$213 32.9%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 124% $264

Accommodation & Living

Samarinda

$148 22.8%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 314% $464

Clothing & Footwear

Samarinda

$104 16.1%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 5.8% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samarinda

$91 14%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 202% $183

Eating Out

Samarinda

$63 9.7%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 192% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Samarinda

$25 3.9%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 220% $55

Getting Around

Samarinda

$3.4 * 0.5%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 1581% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $195 in Samarinda 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 986% 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 $14.00 in Samarinda versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $477 – making Samarinda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Samarinda

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

1 h ahead of Samarinda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

726,223

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Samarinda Seoul 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Samarinda
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

Samarinda vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $647 in Samarinda, $1,794 in Seoul – roughly 177% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Samarinda 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 Samarinda, 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 $14.00 in Samarinda 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 124% 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 Samarinda, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Samarinda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Samarinda – 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 Samarinda. 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.