Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sapporo and Seongnam

For one person, living costs are similar in Sapporo and in Seongnam: $1,422 and $1,418 a month, rent and utilities included.

Sapporo, Japan
Seongnam, South Korea
Sapporo
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,422
/mo nomad
Seongnam
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,418
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sapporo and in Seongnam

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

A single person spends $1,422 per month in Sapporo vs $1,418 in Seongnam, rent included.

  • Sapporo $1,422
  • Seongnam $1,418

A couple spends around $2,123 per month in Sapporo vs $2,361 in Seongnam, rent included.

  • Sapporo $2,123
  • Seongnam $2,361

A family of three spends $2,823 per month in Sapporo vs $3,305 in Seongnam, rent included.

  • Sapporo $2,823
  • Seongnam $3,305

Sapporo and Seongnam have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Sapporo and Seongnam sit above the global median – Sapporo by 4%, Seongnam by 4%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sapporo
Seongnam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.33 ¥996
$6.95 ₩9,282
-8.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.34 ¥4,464
$41.62 ₩55.6K
-31.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.51 ¥868
$6.83 ₩9,123
-19.33%
Cappuccino
$4.92 ¥775
$4.03 ₩5,378
22.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ¥274
$1.56 ₩2,079
11.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ¥138
$0.76 ₩1,010
15.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.37 ¥688
$3.53 ₩4,715
23.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 ¥897
$3.81 ₩5,085
49.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sapporo
Seongnam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.54 ¥243
$2.31 ₩3,085
-33.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ¥213
$3.18 ₩4,249
-57.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.97 ¥626
$3.71 ₩4,950
7.01%
Eggs
$1.78 ¥281
$3.67 ₩4,895
-51.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.44 ¥1,486
$9.13 ₩12.2K
3.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.77 ¥1,067
$8.04 ₩10.7K
-15.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.65 ¥4,040
$20.41 ₩27.2K
25.67%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 ¥512
$7.56 ₩10.1K
-57.01%
Banana (1kg)
$3.03 ¥477
$3.56 ₩4,752
-14.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.15 ¥496
$5.65 ₩7,541
-44.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.35 ¥685
$6.81 ₩9,098
-36.12%
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 ¥337
$3.76 ₩5,014
-43.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.66 ¥262
$2.62 ₩3,502
-36.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.50 ¥236
$2.93 ₩3,916
-48.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ¥77.1
$1.35 ₩1,797
-63.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 ¥624
$3.48 ₩4,643
13.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.19 ¥1,291
$18.94 ₩25.3K
-56.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 ¥293
$2.10 ₩2,801
-11.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 ¥511
$1.93 ₩2,574
67.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Sapporo
Seongnam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.56 ¥246
$1.09 ₩1,453
43.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.41 ¥7,625
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.12 ¥650
$3.65 ₩4,870
12.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 ¥257
$0.67 ₩893
143.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.09 ¥2,535
$8.76 ₩11.7K
83.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥175
$1.39 ₩1,857
-20.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K ¥3.5M
$30.0K ₩40.0M
-26.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.4K ¥2.3M
$28.1K ₩37.5M
-48.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sapporo
Seongnam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$344 ¥54.1K
$215 ₩286.9K
59.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.82 ¥4,067
$36.76 ₩49.1K
-29.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.90 ¥7,545
$21.23 ₩28.4K
125.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sapporo
Seongnam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.4 ¥7,946
$55.1 ₩73.5K
-8.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.20 ¥503
$14.12 ₩18.9K
-77.34%
Cinema Ticket
$12.08 ¥1,902
$11.38 ₩15.2K
6.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sapporo
Seongnam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$312 ¥49.2K
$379 ₩506.2K
-17.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.1K ¥1.6M
$18.1K ₩24.1M
-43.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sapporo
Seongnam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.49 ¥6,063
$57.7 ₩77.0K
-33.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ¥3,975
$32.54 ₩43.4K
-22.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$48.43 ¥7,628
$71.4 ₩95.3K
-32.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 ¥18.7K
$84.4 ₩112.7K
40.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sapporo
Seongnam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$463 ¥72.9K
$488 ₩651.2K
-5.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$276 ¥43.5K
$360 ₩481.0K
-23.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$831 ¥130.9K
$1,158 ₩1.5M
-28.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$644 ¥101.4K
$1,046 ₩1.4M
-38.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,259 ¥355.8K
$7,247 ₩9.7M
-68.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,608 ¥253.2K
$5,589 ₩7.5M
-71.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sapporo
Seongnam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,281 ¥359.3K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.57
4.08
-37.01%

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

Last update for Sapporo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sapporo
$417
Seongnam
$273 34.6% $144
Groceries & Markets
Sapporo
$314
Seongnam
$426 35.7% $112
Accommodation & Living
Sapporo
$276
Seongnam
$360 30.5% $84
Eating Out
Sapporo
$170
Seongnam
$159 6.4% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Sapporo
$104
Seongnam
$111 6.6% $6.8
Sport & Entertainment
Sapporo
$75
Seongnam
$78 4.3% $3.2
Getting Around
Sapporo
$67
Seongnam
$11 * 83% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $463 in Sapporo versus $488 in Seongnam. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Sapporo versus $42 in Seongnam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $426 – making Sapporo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Sapporo
🇰🇷 Seongnam
🕒 Local time
18:03 6:03 PM
18:03 6:03 PM
Same time as Sapporo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,973,395
967,510
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,490 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sapporo Seongnam 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sapporo
  • Seongnam

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
Sapporo vs Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,133 per month in Sapporo and $2,127 in Seongnam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Sapporo and Seongnam?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $463 in Sapporo and $488 in Seongnam. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Is eating out cheaper in Sapporo or in Seongnam?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Sapporo and $42 in Seongnam. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $312 per month in Sapporo and $379 in Seongnam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 enough for either Sapporo or Seongnam?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,422 in Sapporo and $1,418 in Seongnam, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Sapporo or in Seongnam?
It depends on your priorities. Sapporo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,418 in Seongnam to $1,422 in Sapporo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Sapporo or Seongnam?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Sapporo vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?