Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Boryeong

For one person, living is cheaper in Boryeong: $1,491 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Boryeong
Learn more

Boryeong Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Boryeong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,491

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Boryeong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $1,491 in Boryeong.

Seoul $1,848
Boryeong $1,491

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $2,407 in Boryeong.

Seoul $2,986
Boryeong $2,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $3,324 in Boryeong.

Seoul $4,125
Boryeong $3,324

Living in Seoul is roughly 24% more expensive than in Boryeong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Boryeong 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.0K

$8.93 ₩11.8K

1.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩90.7K

$68.1 ₩90.3K

0.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,751

$7.32 ₩9,710

0.41%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,464

$4.08 ₩5,408

0.98%

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

$1.64 ₩2,181

$1.56 ₩2,071

5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,070

$0.75 ₩990

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,921

$3.77 ₩5,002

-1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,138

$5.85 ₩7,768

4.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,709

$2.12 ₩2,812

-3.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,260

$3.15 ₩4,178

1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,822

$4.19 ₩5,556

4.77%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,765

$3.53 ₩4,678

1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.2K

$17.85 ₩23.7K

2.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩13.9K

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-1.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.7K

$26.69 ₩35.4K

0.75%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.4K

$7.90 ₩10.5K

-0.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,683

$3.38 ₩4,491

4.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,569

$5.76 ₩7,643

-1.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,198

$6.16 ₩8,172

0.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩4,993

$3.68 ₩4,887

2.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,333

$2.62 ₩3,478

-4.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,735

$2.92 ₩3,880

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.14 ₩1,514

-2.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,379

$3.48 ₩4,616

-5.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.7K

$18.49 ₩24.5K

0.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,209

$2.28 ₩3,024

6.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,456

$3.27 ₩4,337

2.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,581

$1.16 ₩1,540

2.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,713

$3.65 ₩4,841

-2.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩801

$0.64 ₩853

-6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.0K

$8.75 ₩11.6K

3.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,908

$1.45 ₩1,929

-0.69%

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

$30.3K ₩40.2M

$29.2K ₩38.7M

3.67%

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

$28.9K ₩38.3M

$28.5K ₩37.9M

1.21%

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

$213 ₩282.0K

$212 ₩281.9K

0.05%

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

$35.83 ₩47.5K

$35.99 ₩47.8K

-0.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.4K

$20.61 ₩27.3K

3.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩81.8K

$54.2 ₩72.0K

13.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.8K

$14.07 ₩18.7K

16.63%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.1K

$11.14 ₩14.8K

2.51%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$379 ₩503.3K

413.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.2M

$22.5K ₩29.8M

1.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.3K

$58.5 ₩77.7K

2.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.4K

$32.86 ₩43.6K

4.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩87.6K

$69.3 ₩92.0K

-4.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩108.7K

$84.1 ₩111.5K

-2.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$489 ₩648.4K

89.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩874.6K

$361 ₩479.2K

82.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,184 ₩1.6M

154.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$758 ₩1.0M

89.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.0M

$7,113 ₩9.4M

281.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.0M

$5,616 ₩7.5M

101.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.7M

$1,484 ₩2.0M

140.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Boryeong: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Boryeong

$361 24.2% 45.2% $298

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Boryeong

$481 32.2% 0.6% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Boryeong

$269 18% 0.3% $0.7

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Boryeong

$182 12.2% 1.3% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Boryeong

$110 7.4% 1.2% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Boryeong

$77 5.1% 9.4% $7.9

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Boryeong

$12 * 0.8% 80% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $924 in Seoul and $489 in Boryeong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Seoul vs $68 in Boryeong. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $481, with Boryeong cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Boryeong

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

103,620

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Boryeong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Boryeong differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,848 vs $1,491 including rent). Boryeong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Seoul is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $924 in Seoul versus $489 in Boryeong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $379 in Boryeong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,848 per month in Seoul versus $1,491 in Boryeong – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

For families, Boryeong is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seoul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Boryeong are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Boryeong wins on affordability, Seoul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.