Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,822 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Seoul $1,822
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Seoul $2,847
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Seoul $3,872
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Seoul costs roughly 33% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$20.22 $20.22

-55.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$85.0 $85.0

-21.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$12.35 $12.35

-39.92%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$5.47 $5.47

-25.41%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$3.82 $3.82

-58.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$2.50 $2.50

-68.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$8.06 $8.06

-54.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$8.99 $8.99

-33.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.13 $1.13

81.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$3.78 $3.78

-18.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$3.25 $3.25

29.54%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$4.14 $4.14

-13.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$13.08 $13.08

37.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$14.31 $14.31

-25.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$15.96 $15.96

65.66%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$4.38 $4.38

69.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.45 $1.45

143.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$4.54 $4.54

29.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$4.19 $4.19

52.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$2.63 $2.63

42.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$2.36 $2.36

5.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.76 $1.76

65.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$2.16 $2.16

-46.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$9.81 $9.81

-66.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$14.72 $14.72

25.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$2.78 $2.78

-17.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$3.48 $3.48

-5.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$1.49 $1.49

-23.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$40.51 $40.51

12.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$2.67 $2.67

30.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$1.58 $1.58

-62.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$35.29 $35.29

-75.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$0.99 $0.99

51.52%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$35.8K $35.8K

-18.68%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$27.2K $27.2K

3.74%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$219 $219

-4.74%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$58.0 $58.0

-39.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$68.4 $68.4

-69.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$57.9 $57.9

-0.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$14.82 $14.82

7.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$14.13 $14.13

-19.82%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$1,509 $1,509

26.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$21.5K $21.5K

4.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$51.7 $51.7

14.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$44.05 $44.05

-27.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$85.1 $85.1

-17.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$105 $105

-21.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$1,932 $1,932

-54.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$1,272 $1,272

-50.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$3,670 $3,670

-32.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$2,525 $2,525

-49.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$7,617 $7,617

291.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$3,199 $3,199

270.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$5,105 $5,105

-28.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.79

-39.91%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 104% $649

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 15.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 30.3% $80

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 89.4% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 17.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 7.7% $6.2

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 0.9% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 40% 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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $479 vs $403, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

21:53 9:53 PM

14 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Austin, TX 11,150 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Seoul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,822 per month in Seoul versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Seoul runs roughly 12% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,822 in Seoul versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul 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 Austin, TX 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 Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.