Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Ansan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ansan: $1,415 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Ansan
Learn more

Ansan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Ansan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Ansan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $1,415 in Ansan.

Seoul $1,848
Ansan $1,415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $2,177 in Ansan.

Seoul $2,986
Ansan $2,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $2,939 in Ansan.

Seoul $4,125
Ansan $2,939

Living in Seoul is roughly 31% more expensive than in Ansan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Ansan 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$7.43 ₩9,958

21.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.6K

$34.75 ₩46.6K

96.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,851

$6.70 ₩8,976

9.70%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,520

$4.09 ₩5,486

0.73%

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

$1.64 ₩2,203

$1.58 ₩2,113

3.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,081

$0.77 ₩1,027

5.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,971

$3.56 ₩4,769

4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,221

$4.60 ₩6,166

33.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,737

$2.05 ₩2,743

-0.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,303

$3.08 ₩4,128

4.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,881

$2.36 ₩3,158

86.02%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,814

$3.68 ₩4,938

-2.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.4K

$16.05 ₩21.5K

13.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$7.99 ₩10.7K

31.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.0K

$17.18 ₩23.0K

56.52%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$7.66 ₩10.3K

2.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,730

$3.23 ₩4,334

9.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,646

$5.81 ₩7,785

-1.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,281

$6.43 ₩8,621

-3.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,044

$3.59 ₩4,815

4.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,367

$2.65 ₩3,546

-5.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,773

$2.14 ₩2,864

31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,487

$1.15 ₩1,544

-3.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,424

$3.37 ₩4,514

-2.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$19.15 ₩25.7K

-2.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,242

$2.30 ₩3,085

5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,501

$3.30 ₩4,420

1.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,597

$1.14 ₩1,529

4.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,761

$3.77 ₩5,052

-5.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩809

$0.64 ₩857

-6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$9.26 ₩12.4K

-1.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,927

$1.41 ₩1,886

2.13%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$29.9K ₩40.1M

1.15%

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

$28.9K ₩38.7M

$29.0K ₩38.9M

-0.43%

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

$213 ₩284.9K

$213 ₩285.8K

-0.31%

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

$35.83 ₩48.0K

$35.59 ₩47.7K

0.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$21.25 ₩28.5K

0.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.6K

$37.00 ₩49.6K

66.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$11.37 ₩15.2K

0.44%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$299 ₩400.9K

551.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.5M

$18.2K ₩24.4M

25.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.1K

$57.6 ₩77.2K

3.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.8K

$33.41 ₩44.8K

2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.4K

$71.6 ₩95.9K

-7.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.8K

$82.4 ₩110.4K

-0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$461 ₩617.3K

100.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩883.5K

$376 ₩504.0K

75.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,113 ₩1.5M

170.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$763 ₩1.0M

88.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.4M

$21.1K ₩28.3M

28.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.1M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$1,493 ₩2.0M

139.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ansan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Ansan

$376 26.6% 43% $283

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Ansan

$423 29.9% 12.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Ansan

$270 19.1% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Ansan

$165 11.7% 10.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Ansan

$110 7.8% 1.3% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Ansan

$60 4.2% 29.3% $25

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Ansan

$12 * 0.8% 79.9% $46

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 $924 in Seoul and $461 in Ansan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Seoul vs $35 in Ansan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $423 per month, with Ansan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Ansan

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

677,710

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Ansan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ansan is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Seoul is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $924 in Seoul versus $461 in Ansan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $299 in Ansan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ansan – a meal for two runs $35 versus $68 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Safety-wise, Seoul and Ansan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ansan wins on affordability, Seoul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.