Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Butuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $578 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
Learn more

Butuan Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$578

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Butuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $578 in Butuan.

Seoul $1,794
Butuan $578

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $913 in Butuan.

Seoul $2,863
Butuan $913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,248 in Butuan.

Seoul $3,931
Butuan $1,248

Living in Seoul is roughly 210% more expensive than in Butuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Butuan is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.67 ₱294

88.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$26.83 ₱1,689

154.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.41 ₱152

212.86%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.09 ₱131

102.39%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.33 ₱21.01

393.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.23 ₱14.47

221.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.57 ₱98.8

131.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.46 ₱155

150.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.95 ₱123

3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.09 ₱68.9

187.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.87 ₱55.0

396.55%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.86 ₱117

94.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$6.21 ₱391

187.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.84 ₱305

115.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.32 ₱587

176.82%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.68 ₱169

185.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.11 ₱69.7

204.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.42 ₱152

140.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.20 ₱75.8

434.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.02 ₱127

85.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$3.51 ₱221

-27.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.25 ₱79.0

127.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.67 ₱42.40

65.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.39 ₱150

40.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$8.13 ₱512

127.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.25 ₱78.7

92.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.69 ₱106

99.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.78 ₱49.31

347.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.25 ₱15.83

152.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.96 ₱123

352.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.05 ₱66.1

43.81%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.86%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

48.25%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$107 ₱6,745

103.04%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$18.89 ₱1,189

86.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$30.87 ₱1,944

-31.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$23.85 ₱1,502

143.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.37 ₱275

158.81%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$108 ₱6,790

1705.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$7,696 ₱484.6K

197.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$61.7 ₱3,885

-7.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$31.28 ₱1,970

6.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$71.8 ₱4,523

-0.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$62.2 ₱3,916

32.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

8.31

-50.90%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Butuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Butuan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Butuan

$200 34.6% 58.1% $277

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Butuan

$157 27.1% 42.7% $117

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Butuan

$85 14.6% 54% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Butuan

$102 17.7% 7.1% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Butuan

$33 5.6% 59.6% $48

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Butuan

$2 * 0.4% 96.4% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $27.00 in Butuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $200 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Butuan

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

337,063

💱 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 Butuan 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Butuan

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 Butuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 210% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,692 in Seoul and $867 in Butuan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $108 in Butuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $578 in Butuan versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan 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 Butuan 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 Butuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 210% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.