Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Bacolod

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $607 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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 Bacolod
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Bacolod Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Bacolod

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $607 in Bacolod, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Bacolod $607

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $885 in Bacolod, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Bacolod $885

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,162 in Bacolod, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Bacolod $1,162

Seoul costs about 195% more than Bacolod, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Bacolod is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.34 ₱147

276.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$12.87 ₱810

431.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.03 ₱254

87.10%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.46 ₱155

71.95%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.70 ₱43.96

132.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.38 ₱23.61

94.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.37 ₱86.3

165.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.78 ₱112

245.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.61 ₱101

24.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.16 ₱73.2

169.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.95 ₱60.0

354.74%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.66 ₱105

117.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$8.92 ₱561

99.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$6.95 ₱437

50.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.37 ₱212

127.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.42 ₱152

39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$0.53 ₱33.60

1109.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.00 ₱126

27.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.03 ₱64.8

7.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.77 ₱175

20.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.91 ₱57.4

163.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.18 ₱11.18

533.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.61 ₱38.66

472.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.28 ₱80.5

17.97%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$22.1K ₱1.4M

32.69%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$24.0K ₱1.5M

17.55%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$137 ₱8,646

58.39%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$7.99 ₱503

339.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$28.20 ₱1,776

-24.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$15.87 ₱999

265.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$2.44 ₱153

559.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.37 ₱275

158.81%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$31.23 ₱1,966

6136.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$267 ₱16.8K

237.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$178 ₱11.2K

243.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$475 ₱29.9K

431.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$347 ₱21.8K

265.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$206 ₱13.0K

1671.24%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Bacolod: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Bacolod

$178 29.4% 70.8% $433

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Bacolod

$155 * 25.5% 67.6% $322

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Bacolod

$174 28.6% 36.7% $100

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Bacolod

$75 12.4% 59.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Bacolod

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Bacolod

$25 4.1% 69.5% $56

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Bacolod

$1.3 * 0.2% 97.7% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $267 in Bacolod. 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 1671% higher in Seoul, 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $13.00 in Bacolod. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $155 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

06:26 6:26 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

561,875

💱 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 = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Bacolod 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Bacolod

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 Bacolod: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $607 in Bacolod – roughly 195% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $911 in Bacolod. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacolod, 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 $68.0 in Seoul and $13.00 in Bacolod. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 208% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bacolod, where all-in costs run around $607, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Bacolod it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bacolod has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $607 in Bacolod to $1,794 in Seoul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Bacolod. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.