Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Caloocan

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $504 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
Learn more

Caloocan Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Caloocan

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $504 in Caloocan, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Caloocan $504

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $674 in Caloocan, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Caloocan $674

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $845 in Caloocan, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Caloocan $845

Seoul costs about 256% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Caloocan is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.74 ₱173

221.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.2K

$16.50 ₱1,039

314.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$2.22 ₱140

239.64%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,644

$0.91 ₱57.3

364.84%

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

$1.63 ₩2,175

$0.40 ₱25.01

307.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩988

$0.33 ₱21.08

124.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,860

$1.01 ₱63.8

260.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,203

$1.61 ₱102

281.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,688

$1.62 ₱102

24.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,178

$1.11 ₱69.7

181.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,764

$1.00 ₱63.0

332.00%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,810

$1.81 ₱114

99.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.8K

$5.19 ₱327

243.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.44 ₱217

203.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.4K

$7.94 ₱500

224.94%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.21 ₱139

246.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,514

$0.92 ₱57.7

267.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,750

$2.38 ₱150

144.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,549

$1.04 ₱65.5

516.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,000

$1.12 ₱70.7

234.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,387

$1.70 ₱107

49.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,796

$0.65 ₱41.18

336.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,477

$0.49 ₱31.13

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,470

$3.00 ₱189

11.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.7K

$4.68 ₱295

295.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,196

$0.91 ₱57.2

163.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,495

$1.99 ₱126

69.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.22 ₱13.86

418.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,660

$0.82 ₱51.9

325.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩843

$0.25 ₱15.83

152.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.90 ₱119

366.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,012

$1.09 ₱68.5

38.53%

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

$29.3K ₩39.1M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

37.09%

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

$28.2K ₩37.6M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

46.36%

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

$218 ₩290.2K

$53.2 ₱3,353

308.72%

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

$35.15 ₩46.9K

$9.80 ₱617

258.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.4K

$23.23 ₱1,463

-8.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.5K

$4.76 ₱300

1119.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$5.04 ₱318

124.40%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$134 ₱8,415

1357.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.5M

$10.9K ₱688.5K

109.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.1K

$29.00 ₱1,827

96.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.5K

$19.90 ₱1,253

67.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.4K

$55.3 ₱3,480

29.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.1K

$47.92 ₱3,019

72.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$205 ₱12.9K

340.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩816.3K

$121 ₱7,624

405.51%

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 ₩39.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$320 ₱20.2K

1041.04%

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 Caloocan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Caloocan

$121 24% 80.2% $491

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Caloocan

$160 31.7% 66.5% $317

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Caloocan

$86 17.1% 68.5% $188

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Caloocan

$51 10.1% 72.4% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Caloocan

$68 13.6% 37.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Caloocan

$15 3% 81.6% $66

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Caloocan

$3 * 0.6% 94.8% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $205 in Caloocan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1041% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $16.00 in Caloocan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $160 – making Caloocan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

03:59 3:59 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,661,584

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Caloocan 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 256% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $756 in Caloocan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $16.00 in Caloocan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 199% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Caloocan, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Caloocan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Caloocan – 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 Caloocan. 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.