Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Balikpapan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $668 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Balikpapan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $668 in Balikpapan.

Seoul $1,794
Balikpapan $668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,048 in Balikpapan.

Seoul $2,863
Balikpapan $1,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,428 in Balikpapan.

Seoul $3,931
Balikpapan $1,428

Living in Seoul is roughly 169% more expensive than in Balikpapan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Balikpapan is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

533.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$10.95 Rp 197.1K

524.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$3.05 Rp 55.0K

147.21%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

211.03%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.37 Rp 6,712

340.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.38 Rp 6,871

94.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$2.25 Rp 40.4K

61.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

84.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

77.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

192.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

272.41%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.54 Rp 45.8K

42.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$7.38 Rp 132.8K

141.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$2.92 Rp 52.6K

257.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$8.04 Rp 144.7K

220.90%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.25 Rp 40.5K

240.44%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

160.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

230.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

404.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.26 Rp 22.7K

197.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

33.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

264.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

77.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

-11.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.87 Rp 33.7K

28.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.02 Rp 54.3K

11.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.29 Rp 5,219

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.15 Rp 20.7K

203.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.38 Rp 6,777

65.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$2.59 Rp 46.7K

242.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

96.10%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$23.4K Rp 420.6M

25.28%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$31.0K Rp 558.8M

-9.13%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$67.5 Rp 1.2M

222.35%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$4.36 Rp 78.4K

706.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$29.86 Rp 537.4K

-28.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$23.74 Rp 427.4K

144.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$8.46 Rp 152.2K

90.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

298.24%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$93.1 Rp 1.7M

1991.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$8,570 Rp 154.3M

166.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$38.14 Rp 686.6K

49.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$18.66 Rp 335.9K

78.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$141 Rp 2.5M

-49.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

16.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$203 Rp 3.7M

343.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$148 Rp 2.7M

314.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$537 Rp 9.7M

370.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$361 Rp 6.5M

251.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$1,258 Rp 22.6M

2238.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$818 Rp 14.7M

1355.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$238 Rp 4.3M

1434.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

9.46

-56.87%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Balikpapan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Balikpapan

$148 22.1% 75.8% $464

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Balikpapan

$206 30.9% 56.7% $270

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Balikpapan

$102 15.2% 62.9% $172

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Balikpapan

$57 8.6% 68.7% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Balikpapan

$121 18.1% 9.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Balikpapan

$29 4.4% 63.5% $51

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Balikpapan

$4.2 * 0.6% 92.7% $53

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 $203 in Balikpapan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1435% 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 $11.00 in Balikpapan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $206 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

13:39 1:39 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

701,066

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Balikpapan 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Balikpapan

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 Balikpapan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Balikpapan differ by about 169% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $668 including rent). Balikpapan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1435% 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 $203 in Balikpapan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $93.1 in Balikpapan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Balikpapan – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $668 in Balikpapan versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan 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 Balikpapan 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 Balikpapan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 169% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.