Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Cheonan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheonan: $1,467 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
Learn more

Cheonan Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Cheonan

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $1,467 in Cheonan, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Cheonan $1,467

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $2,259 in Cheonan, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Cheonan $2,259

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $3,051 in Cheonan, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Cheonan $3,051

Seoul costs about 22% more than Cheonan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Seoul and Cheonan sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Cheonan by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$7.53 ₩10.0K

16.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$22.63 ₩30.1K

202.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.28 ₩5,693

76.17%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.47 ₩1,951

187.76%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$1.16 ₩1,538

40.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$1.40 ₩1,867

-47.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$2.28 ₩3,031

59.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$4.40 ₩5,853

39.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.60 ₩2,125

25.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$3.22 ₩4,287

-2.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$3.07 ₩4,078

40.72%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.61 ₩3,476

38.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$11.19 ₩14.9K

59.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$10.38 ₩13.8K

0.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$25.11 ₩33.4K

2.75%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$11.23 ₩14.9K

-31.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$3.73 ₩4,965

-9.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$8.07 ₩10.7K

-28.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$6.04 ₩8,035

6.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$6.10 ₩8,106

-38.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$3.34 ₩4,438

-23.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.75 ₩3,651

3.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.33 ₩1,765

-16.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.38 ₩4,494

-0.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$18.30 ₩24.3K

1.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.43 ₩3,229

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.35 ₩4,454

0.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$1.14 ₩1,509

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$3.05 ₩4,050

14.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.78 ₩1,036

-19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$16.69 ₩22.2K

-46.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.24 ₩1,650

21.77%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$29.7K ₩39.5M

-1.59%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$34.2K ₩45.5M

-17.54%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$199 ₩264.9K

9.20%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$35.67 ₩47.4K

-1.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$27.08 ₩36.0K

-21.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$51.6 ₩68.6K

12.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$11.77 ₩15.6K

36.79%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$12.13 ₩16.1K

-6.76%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$636 ₩845.7K

206.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$21.5K ₩28.6M

6.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$66.2 ₩88.0K

-13.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$59.5 ₩79.1K

-43.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$92.6 ₩123.1K

-22.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$127 ₩168.9K

-35.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$478 ₩636.1K

88.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$361 ₩479.5K

69.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,153 ₩1.5M

119.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$739 ₩982.3K

71.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$7,244 ₩9.6M

306.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$5,422 ₩7.2M

119.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,824 ₩2.4M

100.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.22

-3.32%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cheonan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Cheonan

$361 24.6% 41.1% $251

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Cheonan

$480 32.8% 0.7% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Cheonan

$262 17.9% 4.4% $12

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Cheonan

$121 8.3% 34.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Cheonan

$155 10.6% 41.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Cheonan

$76 5.2% 6% $4.8

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8% 80% $46

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 $478 in Cheonan. 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 100% 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 $23.00 in Cheonan. Groceries tell a different story – $477 in Seoul vs $480 in Cheonan – so Seoul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

658,486

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Cheonan 84 km

From you

Seoul
Cheonan

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 Cheonan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 22% more than Cheonan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,200 in Cheonan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $1,467 in Cheonan. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $636 in Cheonan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cheonan, where all-in costs run around $1,467, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Cheonan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cheonan – 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 Cheonan. 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.