Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Bayawan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayawan City: $754 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Bayawan City
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Bayawan City Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Bayawan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Bayawan City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $754 in Bayawan City.

Seoul $1,794
Bayawan City $754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,171 in Bayawan City.

Seoul $2,863
Bayawan City $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,589 in Bayawan City.

Seoul $3,931
Bayawan City $1,589

Living in Seoul is roughly 138% more expensive than in Bayawan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Bayawan City is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.97 ₱187

196.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$23.51 ₱1,480

190.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.07 ₱256

85.26%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.58 ₱162

63.95%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$1.60 ₱101

1.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.53 ₱33.50

39.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.77 ₱111

105.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.29 ₱144

168.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.77 ₱112

13.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.11 ₱69.7

181.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.72 ₱45.02

500.00%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.06 ₱130

75.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$10.00 ₱630

78.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.45 ₱280

134.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.43 ₱468

247.24%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.36 ₱212

127.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.40 ₱88.2

141.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.30 ₱145

152.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.56 ₱97.9

310.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.37 ₱149

58.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.97 ₱124

28.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.15 ₱72.6

146.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.66 ₱41.84

68.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.91 ₱183

15.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$4.89 ₱308

278.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.81 ₱51.1

196.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.73 ₱109

94.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.26 ₱16.32

338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$9.66 ₱608

377.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.78 ₱49.24

347.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.23 ₱14.50

173.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.86 ₱117

376.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.09 ₱68.7

38.53%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

39.88%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

45.08%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$123 ₱7,755

76.60%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$14.33 ₱902

145.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$28.21 ₱1,776

-24.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$33.93 ₱2,136

71.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$3.96 ₱250

306.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$1.62 ₱102

598.15%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$132 ₱8,306

1376.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$7,958 ₱501.1K

187.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$33.54 ₱2,112

70.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$19.17 ₱1,207

74.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$76.8 ₱4,836

-6.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$58.1 ₱3,661

41.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$233 ₱14.7K

286.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$168 ₱10.6K

264.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$503 ₱31.7K

402.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$359 ₱22.6K

252.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,618 ₱164.8K

1023.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,088 ₱68.5K

994.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$114 ₱7,149

3114.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

7.2

-43.33%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bayawan City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Bayawan City

$168 22.2% 72.6% $444

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Bayawan City

$198 26.2% 58.6% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Bayawan City

$166 22% 39.5% $108

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Bayawan City

$89 11.8% 51.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Bayawan City

$84 11.2% 23.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Bayawan City

$37 4.9% 53.9% $44

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Bayawan City

$13 1.7% 78% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $233 in Bayawan City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 3115% 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 $24.00 in Bayawan City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $198 per month, with Bayawan City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Bayawan City

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

08:55 8:55 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

122,747

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Bayawan City 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Bayawan City

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 Bayawan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Bayawan City differ by about 138% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $754 including rent). Bayawan City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3115% 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 $233 in Bayawan City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 141% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayawan City – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $754 in Bayawan City versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bayawan City but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Bayawan City 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 Bayawan City 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 Bayawan City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.