Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Cagayan de Oro City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $771 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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 Cagayan de Oro City
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Cagayan de Oro City Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Cagayan de Oro City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $771 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Seoul $1,794
Cagayan de Oro City $771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,141 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Seoul $2,863
Cagayan de Oro City $1,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,511 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Seoul $3,931
Cagayan de Oro City $1,511

Living in Seoul is roughly 133% more expensive than in Cagayan de Oro City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Cagayan de Oro City is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.68 ₱231

139.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$12.80 ₱806

434.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$3.05 ₱192

147.21%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.33 ₱147

81.55%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.76 ₱47.91

114.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.64 ₱39.98

15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.38 ₱86.9

163.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.98 ₱124

210.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.48 ₱93.4

35.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$0.89 ₱56.2

251.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.92 ₱58.0

369.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.17 ₱137

66.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$8.67 ₱546

105.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.29 ₱207

217.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$5.76 ₱363

347.92%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.05 ₱129

273.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.08 ₱68.3

212.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.38 ₱150

144.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.14 ₱71.9

462.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.92 ₱121

95.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.53 ₱159

0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.76 ₱47.87

273.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.48 ₱30.30

131.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.02 ₱190

10.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$3.97 ₱250

365.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.22 ₱77.0

96.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.93 ₱122

74.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.41 ₱25.99

178.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$9.84 ₱620

368.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.63 ₱39.57

453.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.21 ₱13.18

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.94 ₱122

356.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.08 ₱67.8

39.81%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

38.42%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

49.31%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$137 ₱8,600

59.24%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$22.77 ₱1,433

54.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$30.51 ₱1,921

-30.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$20.70 ₱1,303

180.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$2.87 ₱181

460.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.55 ₱286

148.57%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$66.4 ₱4,181

2832.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$2,257 ₱142.1K

912.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$31.71 ₱1,997

79.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$13.08 ₱824

155.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$52.4 ₱3,300

36.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$39.65 ₱2,496

108.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$377 ₱23.8K

138.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$229 ₱14.4K

167.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$693 ₱43.7K

264.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$452 ₱28.5K

180.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$1,604 ₱101.0K

1734.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$951 ₱59.9K

1151.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$302 ₱19.0K

1107.35%

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 Cagayan de Oro City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Cagayan de Oro City

$229 29.6% 62.6% $383

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Cagayan de Oro City

$165 21.4% 65.3% $311

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Cagayan de Oro City

$190 24.6% 30.7% $84

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Cagayan de Oro City

$83 10.8% 54.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Cagayan de Oro City

$62 8% 44% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Cagayan de Oro City

$30 3.9% 63.1% $51

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Cagayan de Oro City

$13 1.7% 77% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $377 in Cagayan de Oro City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1107% 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 $13.00 in Cagayan de Oro City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $165 per month, with Cagayan de Oro City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

00:03 12:03 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

728,402

💱 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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Between locations

Seoul Cagayan de Oro City 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Cagayan de Oro 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 Cagayan de Oro City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Cagayan de Oro City differ by about 133% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $771 including rent). Cagayan de Oro City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1107% 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 $377 in Cagayan de Oro City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 188% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cagayan de Oro City but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Cagayan de Oro 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 Cagayan de Oro 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 Cagayan de Oro City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.