Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,405 in Seongnam, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
Learn more

Seongnam Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,405

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seongnam and in Cebu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,405 in Seongnam versus $918 in Cebu.

Seongnam $1,405
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,330 in Seongnam versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Seongnam $2,330
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,255 in Seongnam versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Seongnam $3,255
Cebu $1,900

Living in Seongnam is roughly 53% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seongnam is 4% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.61 ₩8,817

$3.09 ₱195

113.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.26 ₩53.7K

$24.22 ₱1,525

66.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 ₩8,901

$3.92 ₱247

70.15%

Cappuccino

$4.16 ₩5,547

$2.51 ₱158

65.74%

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

$1.59 ₩2,127

$1.59 ₱100

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₩1,097

$0.53 ₱33.45

54.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ₩4,744

$1.78 ₱112

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,083

$2.17 ₱137

75.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,016

$1.92 ₱121

17.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,112

$1.36 ₱85.5

126.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,795

$1.01 ₱63.6

255.45%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,820

$2.03 ₱128

77.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 ₩12.3K

$9.86 ₱621

-6.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 ₩10.3K

$4.39 ₱277

76.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.02 ₩28.0K

$7.60 ₱479

176.58%

Apples (1kg)

$7.75 ₩10.3K

$3.30 ₱208

134.85%

Banana (1kg)

$3.42 ₩4,568

$1.39 ₱87.8

146.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,835

$2.33 ₱147

151.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.99 ₩9,321

$1.50 ₱94.3

366.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,810

$2.36 ₱149

52.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,366

$1.90 ₱119

32.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 ₩3,737

$1.19 ₱74.9

135.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,773

$0.63 ₱39.73

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,599

$3.00 ₱189

15.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.42 ₩24.6K

$6.03 ₱380

205.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ₩2,786

$1.23 ₱77.7

69.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ₩2,430

$1.75 ₱110

4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₩1,373

$0.25 ₱15.87

312.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,858

$0.77 ₱48.64

372.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩879

$0.23 ₱14.54

186.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$4.46 ₱281

98.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,817

$1.31 ₱82.8

3.82%

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

$29.3K ₩39.1M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.97%

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

$28.4K ₩37.9M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

48.34%

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

$207 ₩276.8K

$120 ₱7,573

72.58%

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

$36.39 ₩48.5K

$14.00 ₱882

159.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.67 ₩27.6K

$27.54 ₱1,735

-24.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.8K

$32.33 ₱2,036

59.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.09 ₩16.1K

$6.65 ₱419

81.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 ₩14.7K

$5.65 ₱356

94.51%

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

$532 ₩709.4K

$275 ₱17.3K

93.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ₩23.6M

$7,918 ₱498.8K

123.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ₩76.9K

$49.33 ₱3,107

16.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.21 ₩43.0K

$25.24 ₱1,590

27.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 ₩92.9K

$77.0 ₱4,848

-9.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 ₩109.2K

$57.2 ₱3,603

43.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩637.6K

$500 ₱31.5K

-4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₩488.6K

$309 ₱19.5K

18.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 ₩1.6M

$1,078 ₱67.9K

8.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 ₩1.4M

$615 ₱38.8K

68.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,163 ₩9.6M

$2,886 ₱181.8K

148.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,429 ₩7.2M

$1,917 ₱120.7K

183.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

7.2

-43.33%

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

Last update for Seongnam: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Seongnam

$423 30.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 51.4% $217

Accommodation & Living

Seongnam

$366 26.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 15.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seongnam

$265 18.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 38.8% $103

Eating Out

Seongnam

$158 11.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 44.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Seongnam

$109 7.7%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 13.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Seongnam

$74 5.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 40.7% $30

Getting Around

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 40.9% $4.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Seongnam and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Seongnam vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $423 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

1 h behind Seongnam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

967,510

964,169

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seongnam Cebu 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Seongnam
Cebu

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

Seongnam vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,108 in Seongnam and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $478 in Seongnam versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Seongnam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,405 per month in Seongnam versus $918 in Cebu – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,405 in Seongnam, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Seongnam. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seongnam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Seongnam and Cebu 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Seongnam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.