Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Bandung

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $632 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Bandung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $632 in Bandung.

Seoul $1,794
Bandung $632

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $933 in Bandung.

Seoul $2,863
Bandung $933

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,234 in Bandung.

Seoul $3,931
Bandung $1,234

Living in Seoul is roughly 184% more expensive than in Bandung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Bandung is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$1.38 Rp 24.9K

537.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$13.75 Rp 247.6K

397.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$3.37 Rp 60.7K

123.74%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

183.89%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.44 Rp 7,830

270.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.22 Rp 3,948

236.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

17.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$3.13 Rp 56.3K

96.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.08 Rp 19.4K

86.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

216.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.81 Rp 14.5K

433.33%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

142.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$7.39 Rp 133.0K

141.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$2.93 Rp 52.7K

256.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

232.90%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.17 Rp 39.1K

253.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.10 Rp 19.8K

207.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

277.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$0.94 Rp 16.9K

581.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

244.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

33.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.65 Rp 11.6K

336.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.40 Rp 7,248

177.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.66 Rp 47.8K

25.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$22.19 Rp 399.5K

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

25.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.25 Rp 58.4K

3.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.27 Rp 4,821

322.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$9.51 Rp 171.1K

384.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

325.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.56 Rp 10.0K

12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

283.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.91 Rp 16.4K

65.93%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.4K Rp 385.3M

36.76%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$29.1K Rp 523.9M

-3.07%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$34.14 Rp 614.6K

537.14%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$4.22 Rp 76.0K

732.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$19.25 Rp 346.4K

10.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$18.42 Rp 331.5K

215.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$6.03 Rp 108.6K

167.00%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

311.27%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$92.5 Rp 1.7M

2006.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$8,335 Rp 150.0M

174.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$39.16 Rp 704.9K

45.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$32.02 Rp 576.3K

4.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

-7.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$71.7 Rp 1.3M

15.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$214 Rp 3.9M

320.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$180 Rp 3.2M

239.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$378 Rp 6.8M

568.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$263 Rp 4.7M

381.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$723 Rp 13.0M

3971.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$304 Rp 5.5M

3817.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$281 Rp 5.1M

1198.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

11.38

-64.15%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bandung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Bandung

$180 28.6% 70.5% $431

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Bandung

$193 30.6% 59.5% $284

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Bandung

$58 9.1% 79% $216

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Bandung

$63 10% 65.5% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Bandung

$99 15.7% 9.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Bandung

$24 3.8% 70.4% $57

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Bandung

$14 2.2% 75.3% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $214 in Bandung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1198% 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 $14.00 in Bandung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $193 per month, with Bandung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇮🇩 Bandung

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

2 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,390,120

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Bandung 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Bandung

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 Bandung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bandung wins on cost – living expenses run 184% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bandung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1198% 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 $214 in Bandung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 147% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bandung – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $632 in Bandung versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bandung but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Bandung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bandung delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $632 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bandung hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Bandung 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 Bandung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 184% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.