Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Angeles

For one person, living is cheaper in Angeles: $763 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Angeles
Learn more

Angeles Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Angeles

🇵🇭 Philippines

$763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Angeles

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $763 in Angeles.

Seoul $1,794
Angeles $763

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,144 in Angeles.

Seoul $2,863
Angeles $1,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,525 in Angeles.

Seoul $3,931
Angeles $1,525

Living in Seoul is roughly 135% more expensive than in Angeles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Angeles is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.24 ₱204

171.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.57 ₱1,043

312.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.64 ₱166

185.61%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.86 ₱117

127.42%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.56 ₱35.42

191.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.31 ₱19.51

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$0.98 ₱61.7

271.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.60 ₱101

284.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.57 ₱99.2

28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.30 ₱81.9

140.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.92 ₱57.6

369.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.69 ₱106

113.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$5.12 ₱323

248.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.50 ₱220

198.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.84 ₱494

229.08%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.31 ₱145

231.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.37 ₱86.1

146.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.42 ₱153

140.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.08 ₱67.9

493.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.74 ₱110

115.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.76 ₱111

44.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.66 ₱41.33

330.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.40 ₱25.21

177.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.81 ₱177

19.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$8.22 ₱518

124.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.19 ₱74.6

101.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.43 ₱90.3

135.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.24 ₱15.01

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.83 ₱52.0

320.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.25 ₱15.78

152.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.96 ₱124

352.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.08 ₱67.9

39.81%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.76%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

47.02%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$176 ₱11.1K

23.63%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$8.08 ₱509

335.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$23.58 ₱1,485

-9.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$31.20 ₱1,964

86.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$7.87 ₱496

104.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.73 ₱298

139.11%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$85.9 ₱5,405

2168.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$7,689 ₱484.1K

197.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$29.26 ₱1,842

94.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$19.80 ₱1,247

68.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$60.4 ₱3,804

18.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$56.1 ₱3,532

47.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$339 ₱21.4K

165.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$198 ₱12.5K

209.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$526 ₱33.1K

380.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$430 ₱27.1K

194.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,102 ₱132.3K

1299.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$624 ₱39.3K

1806.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$335 ₱21.1K

990.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.75

-39.56%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Angeles: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Angeles

$198 25.9% 67.7% $414

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Angeles

$172 22.5% 64% $305

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Angeles

$208 27.2% 24.2% $66

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Angeles

$68 8.9% 63.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Angeles

$75 9.8% 32.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Angeles

$41 5.3% 49.6% $40

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Angeles

$3 * 0.4% 94.7% $54

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 $901 in Seoul and $339 in Angeles. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 990% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $17.00 in Angeles for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $172 per month, with Angeles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Angeles

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

02:08 2:08 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

462,928

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Angeles 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Angeles

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 Angeles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Angeles wins on cost – living expenses run 135% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Angeles the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 990% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $339 in Angeles. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 177% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $763 in Angeles – a 135% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $763 in Angeles versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Angeles but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Angeles the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Angeles 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 Angeles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.