Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Bataan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bataan: $498 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Bataan
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Bataan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Bataan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Bataan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $498 in Bataan.

Seoul $1,794
Bataan $498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $831 in Bataan.

Seoul $2,863
Bataan $831

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,165 in Bataan.

Seoul $3,931
Bataan $1,165

Living in Seoul is roughly 260% more expensive than in Bataan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Bataan is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$1.39 ₱87.5

533.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.77 ₱1,056

307.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.79 ₱175

170.25%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.37 ₱86.0

208.76%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.60 ₱37.61

171.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.25 ₱15.77

196.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$0.98 ₱61.6

271.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.56 ₱98.3

294.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.62 ₱102

24.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.17 ₱73.7

167.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.01 ₱63.6

327.72%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.81 ₱114

99.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$5.08 ₱320

250.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.00 ₱189

248.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$8.10 ₱510

218.52%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.21 ₱139

246.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.54 ₱97.2

119.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.41 ₱152

141.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.03 ₱64.8

522.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.74 ₱110

115.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.78 ₱112

42.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.61 ₱38.47

365.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.49 ₱30.93

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.26 ₱142

48.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$8.80 ₱554

110.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.98 ₱61.7

144.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.98 ₱125

70.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.24 ₱15.03

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$12.00 ₱756

284.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.82 ₱51.6

325.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.23 ₱14.46

173.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.94 ₱122

356.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.01 ₱63.4

49.50%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

38.16%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

46.29%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$47.67 ₱3,002

356.30%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$17.68 ₱1,113

98.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$23.57 ₱1,484

-9.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$32.18 ₱2,026

80.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$4.71 ₱297

241.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.03 ₱316

124.85%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$67.7 ₱4,259

2778.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$10.9K ₱687.3K

109.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$28.69 ₱1,807

98.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$19.47 ₱1,226

71.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$71.9 ₱4,528

-0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$56.7 ₱3,572

45.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$167 ₱10.5K

440.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$52.8 ₱3,324

1058.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$274 ₱17.2K

822.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$186 ₱11.7K

580.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,394 ₱150.7K

1129.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$977 ₱61.5K

1118.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$400 ₱25.2K

812.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.75

-39.56%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bataan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Bataan

$53 10.6% 91.4% $559

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Bataan

$172 34.6% 63.9% $304

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Bataan

$89 17.9% 67.5% $185

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Bataan

$47 9.5% 74.3% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Bataan

$80 16% 27.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Bataan

$42 8.5% 47.7% $38

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Bataan

$15 3% 74% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $167 in Bataan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 813% 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 $17.00 in Bataan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $172 per month, with Bataan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Bataan

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

6,743

💱 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Bataan 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Bataan

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 Bataan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bataan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 260% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 813% 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 $167 in Bataan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 177% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bataan – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $498 in Bataan versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bataan but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Bataan 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 Bataan 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 Bataan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 260% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.