Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Sapporo

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

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

How much you'll spend in Seongnam and in Sapporo

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 Sapporo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seongnam
Sapporo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.95 ₩9,282
$6.33 ¥996
9.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.62 ₩55.6K
$28.34 ¥4,464
46.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.83 ₩9,123
$5.51 ¥868
23.96%
Cappuccino
$4.03 ₩5,378
$4.92 ¥775
-18.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ₩2,079
$1.74 ¥274
-10.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 ₩1,010
$0.88 ¥138
-13.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.53 ₩4,715
$4.37 ¥688
-19.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.81 ₩5,085
$5.70 ¥897
-33.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seongnam
Sapporo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.31 ₩3,085
$1.54 ¥243
50.00%
White Bread (500g)
$3.18 ₩4,249
$1.36 ¥213
133.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.71 ₩4,950
$3.97 ¥626
-6.55%
Eggs
$3.67 ₩4,895
$1.78 ¥281
106.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.13 ₩12.2K
$9.44 ¥1,486
-3.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.04 ₩10.7K
$6.77 ¥1,067
18.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.41 ₩27.2K
$25.65 ¥4,040
-20.43%
Apples (1kg)
$7.56 ₩10.1K
$3.25 ¥512
132.62%
Banana (1kg)
$3.56 ₩4,752
$3.03 ¥477
17.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.65 ₩7,541
$3.15 ¥496
79.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.81 ₩9,098
$4.35 ¥685
56.55%
Potato (1kg)
$3.76 ₩5,014
$2.14 ¥337
75.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.62 ₩3,502
$1.66 ¥262
57.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.93 ₩3,916
$1.50 ¥236
95.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₩1,797
$0.49 ¥77.1
175.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.48 ₩4,643
$3.96 ¥624
-12.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.94 ₩25.3K
$8.19 ¥1,291
131.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 ₩2,801
$1.86 ¥293
12.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 ₩2,574
$3.24 ¥511
-40.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Seongnam
Sapporo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.09 ₩1,453
$1.56 ¥246
-30.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$48.41 ¥7,625
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 ₩4,870
$4.12 ¥650
-11.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.67 ₩893
$1.63 ¥257
-58.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.76 ₩11.7K
$16.09 ¥2,535
-45.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ₩1,857
$1.11 ¥175
25.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.0K ₩40.0M
$21.9K ¥3.5M
36.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.1K ₩37.5M
$14.4K ¥2.3M
94.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seongnam
Sapporo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 ₩286.9K
$344 ¥54.1K
-37.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.76 ₩49.1K
$25.82 ¥4,067
42.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.23 ₩28.4K
$47.90 ¥7,545
-55.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seongnam
Sapporo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.1 ₩73.5K
$50.4 ¥7,946
9.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.12 ₩18.9K
$3.20 ¥503
341.25%
Cinema Ticket
$11.38 ₩15.2K
$12.08 ¥1,902
-5.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seongnam
Sapporo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$379 ₩506.2K
$312 ¥49.2K
21.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.1K ₩24.1M
$10.1K ¥1.6M
78.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seongnam
Sapporo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.7 ₩77.0K
$38.49 ¥6,063
49.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.54 ₩43.4K
$25.24 ¥3,975
28.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.4 ₩95.3K
$48.43 ¥7,628
47.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.4 ₩112.7K
$119 ¥18.7K
-28.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seongnam
Sapporo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$488 ₩651.2K
$463 ¥72.9K
5.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$360 ₩481.0K
$276 ¥43.5K
30.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,158 ₩1.5M
$831 ¥130.9K
39.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,046 ₩1.4M
$644 ¥101.4K
62.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,247 ₩9.7M
$2,259 ¥355.8K
220.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,589 ₩7.5M
$1,608 ¥253.2K
247.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seongnam
Sapporo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,281 ¥359.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.08
2.57
58.75%

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

Last update for Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sapporo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Seongnam
$426
Sapporo
$314 26.3% $112
Accommodation & Living
Seongnam
$360
Sapporo
$276 23.4% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seongnam
$273
Sapporo
$417 52.9% $144
Eating Out
Seongnam
$159
Sapporo
$170 6.8% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Seongnam
$111
Sapporo
$104 6.2% $6.8
Sport & Entertainment
Seongnam
$78
Sapporo
$75 4.2% $3.2
Getting Around
Seongnam
$11 *
Sapporo
$67 490% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $488 in Seongnam versus $463 in Sapporo. 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 $42 in Seongnam versus $28 in Sapporo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $426 vs $314 – making Sapporo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Seongnam
🇯🇵 Sapporo
🕒 Local time
02:40 2:40 AM
02:40 2:40 AM
Same time as Seongnam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
967,510
1,973,395
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

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

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

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

Seongnam vs other spots: cost of living compared

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