Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Binan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Binan City: $731 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Binan City
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Binan City Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Binan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Binan 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 Binan City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $731 in Binan City, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Binan City $731

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,132 in Binan City, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Binan City $1,132

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,534 in Binan City, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Binan City $1,534

Seoul costs about 146% more than Binan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Binan City is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.02 ₱253

118.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.94 ₱1,067

303.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.78 ₱175

171.22%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.79 ₱113

136.31%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.56 ₱35.53

191.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.31 ₱19.24

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$0.98 ₱61.8

271.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.57 ₱98.9

291.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.62 ₱102

24.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.13 ₱71.1

176.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.04 ₱65.3

315.38%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.04 ₱128

76.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$4.97 ₱313

258.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.41 ₱214

206.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$6.90 ₱434

273.91%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.41 ₱152

217.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.52 ₱96.0

122.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.33 ₱147

149.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.07 ₱67.1

499.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.74 ₱109

115.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.76 ₱111

44.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.61 ₱38.30

365.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.57 ₱36.15

94.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.58 ₱163

29.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$8.11 ₱511

127.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.95 ₱59.9

152.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.00 ₱126

68.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.28 ₱17.72

307.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$12.24 ₱771

276.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.67 ₱41.93

420.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.21 ₱13.16

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.93 ₱122

359.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.24 ₱78.2

21.77%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

35.26%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

47.39%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$140 ₱8,795

55.73%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$16.11 ₱1,014

118.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$31.50 ₱1,983

-32.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$35.01 ₱2,204

65.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$5.04 ₱317

219.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.07 ₱319

123.08%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$135 ₱8,501

1342.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$7,389 ₱465.2K

209.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$28.73 ₱1,809

98.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$19.59 ₱1,233

70.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$71.2 ₱4,481

0.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$56.5 ₱3,555

46.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$268 ₱16.9K

236.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$159 ₱10.0K

284.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$583 ₱36.7K

333.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$396 ₱24.9K

219.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,584 ₱162.7K

1038.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,026 ₱64.6K

1060.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

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 Binan City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Binan City

$159 21.8% 74% $453

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Binan City

$171 23.5% 64.1% $305

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Binan City

$187 25.6% 31.6% $87

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Binan City

$73 10.1% 60% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Binan City

$79 10.8% 28% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Binan City

$45 6.2% 44.1% $36

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Binan City

$15 2.1% 73.7% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $268 in Binan City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $17.00 in Binan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $171 – making Binan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Binan City

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

407,037

💱 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 = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Binan City 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Binan 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 Binan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 146%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,096 in Binan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $135 in Binan City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 178% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Binan City, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Binan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Binan City – 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 Binan City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.