Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Barnsley

For one person, living costs are similar in Seoul and in Barnsley: $1,804 and $1,892 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Barnsley
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Barnsley Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Barnsley

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,892

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Barnsley

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $1,892 in Barnsley, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Barnsley $1,892

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $2,842 in Barnsley, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Barnsley $2,842

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $3,792 in Barnsley, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Barnsley $3,792

Seoul is about 5% cheaper than Barnsley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Barnsley sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Barnsley by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$24.36 £18.28

-62.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$83.8 £62.9

-20.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$10.52 £7.89

-28.80%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$4.81 £3.61

-12.89%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$2.39 £1.79

-35.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$1.62 £1.22

-51.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$5.94 £4.46

-38.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$6.68 £5.01

-8.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.71 £1.28

23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.86 £1.39

63.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$2.01 £1.51

109.45%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$4.00 £3.00

-11.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$8.71 £6.53

106.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$8.38 £6.28

23.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$14.58 £10.94

81.55%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.99 £2.24

164.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.93 £1.44

78.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$2.61 £1.96

116.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$2.95 £2.22

117.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.90 £1.42

95.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.62 £1.22

55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$1.51 £1.13

90.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$1.46 £1.09

-20.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$23.72 £17.80

-85.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$11.36 £8.52

64.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$3.45 £2.59

-33.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$3.29 £2.47

0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$2.61 £1.96

-56.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$5.24 £3.93

-32.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$1.38 £1.04

-53.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$19.06 £14.30

-54.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.99 £1.49

-27.14%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$38.3K £28.8K

-22.60%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$40.8K £30.6K

-30.89%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$283 £213

-25.60%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$20.34 £15.26

73.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$43.95 £32.97

-53.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$67.2 £50.4

-14.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$12.68 £9.51

-10.33%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$1,486 £1,115

32.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$16.4K £12.3K

39.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$60.0 £45.04

-4.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$41.02 £30.77

-19.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$92.8 £69.6

-24.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$79.6 £59.8

5.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$921 £691

-4.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$660 £495

-5.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$1,347 £1,010

86.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$1,101 £826

16.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$2,966 £2,225

21.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.61

-27.27%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barnsley: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Barnsley

$660 34.9% 5.8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Barnsley

$302 16% 37% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Barnsley

$348 18.4% 30.3% $81

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Barnsley

$343 18.2% 85.2% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Barnsley

$123 6.5% 11.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Barnsley

$93 4.9% 15.1% $12

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Barnsley

$23 * 1.2% 61% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $921 in Barnsley. 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 21% higher in Seoul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $84.0 in Barnsley. Groceries tell a different story – $480 in Seoul vs $302 in Barnsley – so Barnsley wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇬🇧 Barnsley

🕒 Local time

20:43 8:43 PM

12:43 12:43 PM

8 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

245,199

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Barnsley 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Barnsley

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 Barnsley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barnsley is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $2,838 in Barnsley. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,804 in Seoul and $1,892 in Barnsley. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $1,967 per month in Seoul and $1,486 in Barnsley. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,804, than in Barnsley at $1,892. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barnsley it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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