Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Bucheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucheon: $1,490 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 Bucheon
Learn more

Bucheon Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Bucheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Bucheon

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,490 in Bucheon, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Bucheon $1,490

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $2,399 in Bucheon, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Bucheon $2,399

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $3,308 in Bucheon, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Bucheon $3,308

Seoul costs about 24% more than Bucheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Seoul and Bucheon sit above the global median – Seoul by 36%, Bucheon by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$9.03 ₩12.1K

0.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.6K

$68.1 ₩91.3K

0.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,851

$7.49 ₩10.0K

-1.87%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,520

$4.18 ₩5,607

-1.44%

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

$1.64 ₩2,203

$1.54 ₩2,068

6.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,081

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,971

$3.66 ₩4,903

1.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,221

$5.86 ₩7,855

4.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,737

$2.05 ₩2,747

-0.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,303

$3.09 ₩4,142

3.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,881

$4.40 ₩5,901

-0.23%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,814

$3.73 ₩4,996

-3.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.4K

$17.50 ₩23.5K

4.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$10.55 ₩14.1K

-0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.0K

$26.16 ₩35.1K

2.79%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$7.64 ₩10.2K

2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,730

$3.43 ₩4,593

2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,646

$5.84 ₩7,834

-2.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,281

$6.35 ₩8,516

-2.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,044

$3.77 ₩5,052

-0.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,367

$2.60 ₩3,481

-3.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,773

$2.84 ₩3,805

-0.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,487

$1.16 ₩1,558

-4.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,424

$3.40 ₩4,558

-2.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$18.79 ₩25.2K

-0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,242

$2.28 ₩3,049

6.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,501

$3.24 ₩4,348

3.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,597

$1.16 ₩1,550

2.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,761

$3.67 ₩4,925

-3.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩809

$0.60 ₩800

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$8.84 ₩11.9K

2.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,927

$1.46 ₩1,955

-1.37%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$30.0K ₩40.2M

1.03%

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

$28.9K ₩38.7M

$28.5K ₩38.3M

1.21%

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

$213 ₩284.9K

$215 ₩287.9K

-1.04%

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

$35.83 ₩48.0K

$35.76 ₩47.9K

0.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$20.84 ₩27.9K

2.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.6K

$55.1 ₩73.8K

11.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$14.32 ₩19.2K

14.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$11.13 ₩14.9K

2.61%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$374 ₩501.6K

420.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.5M

$23.1K ₩30.9M

-1.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.1K

$59.1 ₩79.2K

1.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.8K

$33.12 ₩44.4K

3.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.4K

$70.3 ₩94.2K

-6.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.8K

-0.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$497 ₩665.9K

85.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩883.5K

$357 ₩478.9K

84.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,199 ₩1.6M

151.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$740 ₩991.6K

94.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.4M

$7,114 ₩9.5M

281.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.1M

$5,501 ₩7.4M

105.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$1,529 ₩2.0M

133.44%

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 Bucheon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Bucheon

$357 24% 45.8% $302

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Bucheon

$479 32.1% 1% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Bucheon

$271 18.2% 0.6% $1.6

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Bucheon

$184 12.4% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Bucheon

$110 7.4% 1.1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Bucheon

$77 5.2% 8.5% $7.1

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Bucheon

$11 * 0.8% 80.4% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $497 in Bucheon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Seoul are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $68 in Bucheon. Groceries tell a different story – $483 in Seoul vs $479 in Bucheon – so Bucheon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Bucheon

🕒 Local time

11:13 11:13 AM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

848,191

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Bucheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,848 in Seoul, $1,490 in Bucheon – Bucheon comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,771 per month in Seoul and $2,236 in Bucheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $497 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,490 in Bucheon. That makes Bucheon about 19% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $374 in Bucheon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bucheon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.