Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Aachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $1,970 in Aachen, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
Learn more

Aachen Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Aachen

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $1,970 in Aachen, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Aachen $1,970

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $2,925 in Aachen, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Aachen $2,925

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $3,880 in Aachen, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Aachen $3,880

Seoul is about 8% cheaper than Aachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Aachen sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Aachen by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$15.93 €14.17

-42.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$61.3 €54.5

8.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$11.36 €10.11

-34.07%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$3.79 €3.37

10.55%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$2.84 €2.52

-45.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$3.07 €2.73

-74.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$5.16 €4.59

-29.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$5.53 €4.92

11.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.23 €1.09

71.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.90 €1.69

60.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$3.61 €3.21

16.62%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$3.60 €3.20

-1.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$14.69 €13.07

22.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$11.20 €9.96

-7.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$21.26 €18.91

24.51%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$3.34 €2.97

136.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$2.30 €2.04

49.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$2.17 €1.93

159.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$3.30 €2.93

94.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.53 €1.36

142.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.51 €1.34

66.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$1.48 €1.32

93.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$1.20 €1.07

-3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$9.99 €8.88

-66.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$6.69 €5.95

179.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$1.15 €1.03

98.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.58 €1.40

109.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$3.92 €3.48

-71.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$71.7 €63.8

-34.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$5.43 €4.83

-35.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$2.55 €2.27

-74.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$37.75 €33.58

-76.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$2.31 €2.06

-37.23%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$33.1K €29.4K

-10.39%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$38.6K €34.3K

-26.88%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$386 €343

-45.35%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$16.86 €15.00

109.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$47.23 €42.01

-56.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$37.99 €33.79

51.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$28.03 €24.93

-42.20%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$15.56 €13.84

-26.93%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$732 €652

168.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$19.7K €17.5K

15.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$95.0 €84.5

-39.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$42.30 €37.63

-21.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$83.5 €74.2

-15.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$132 €118

-36.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$813 €723

8.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$589 €524

5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$1,505 €1,338

67.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$1,054 €938

22.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$4,479 €3,984

578.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$3,440 €3,059

245.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$3,609 €3,211

-0.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.96

3.03%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Aachen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Aachen

$589 29.9% 5.6% $35

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Aachen

$330 16.7% 31.2% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Aachen

$450 22.8% 68.6% $183

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Aachen

$268 13.6% 44.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Aachen

$159 8.1% 44.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Aachen

$69 3.5% 14.1% $11

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Aachen

$106 5.4% 82.2% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $813 in Aachen. 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 0% higher in Aachen, 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $61.0 in Aachen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $330 – making Aachen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇩🇪 Aachen

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

7 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

241,683

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Aachen 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Aachen

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

Seoul vs Aachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,804 in Seoul, $1,970 in Aachen – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $2,955 in Aachen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, 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 $67.0 in Seoul and $61.0 in Aachen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,804 in Seoul and $1,970 in Aachen. That's a gap of about 9%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,804, than in Aachen at $1,970. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aachen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – 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 Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aachen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.