Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,409 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
Learn more

Cheongju Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Cheongju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $1,409 in Cheongju.

Seoul $1,848
Cheongju $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $2,329 in Cheongju.

Seoul $2,986
Cheongju $2,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $3,249 in Cheongju.

Seoul $4,125
Cheongju $3,249

Living in Seoul is roughly 31% more expensive than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Cheongju 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$7.47 ₩9,963

21.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.1K

$48.95 ₩65.3K

39.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,800

$5.88 ₩7,844

25.00%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,491

$3.66 ₩4,875

12.57%

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

$1.64 ₩2,192

$1.84 ₩2,458

-10.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,075

$1.40 ₩1,861

-42.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,946

$3.65 ₩4,872

1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,179

$4.33 ₩5,776

41.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,723

$2.25 ₩3,005

-9.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,281

$3.25 ₩4,340

-1.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,851

$3.05 ₩4,074

43.93%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,789

$2.73 ₩3,647

31.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.3K

$11.16 ₩14.9K

63.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.0K

$10.65 ₩14.2K

-1.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.9K

$24.55 ₩32.7K

9.53%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$11.40 ₩15.2K

-31.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,706

$3.59 ₩4,786

-1.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,607

$8.30 ₩11.1K

-31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,239

$5.85 ₩7,801

5.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,018

$5.84 ₩7,788

-35.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,350

$3.43 ₩4,570

-26.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,754

$2.87 ₩3,828

-1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,480

$1.33 ₩1,767

-16.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,401

$3.45 ₩4,595

-4.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.9K

$18.71 ₩25.0K

-0.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,225

$2.46 ₩3,280

-1.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,478

$3.40 ₩4,541

-1.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,589

$1.15 ₩1,527

3.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,737

$3.50 ₩4,669

1.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩805

$0.76 ₩1,014

-21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.1K

$16.67 ₩22.2K

-45.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,917

$1.36 ₩1,811

5.88%

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

$30.3K ₩40.4M

$39.0K ₩52.1M

-22.47%

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

$28.9K ₩38.5M

$33.7K ₩45.0M

-14.35%

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

$213 ₩283.4K

$205 ₩273.1K

3.78%

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

$35.83 ₩47.8K

$24.30 ₩32.4K

47.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.5K

$27.72 ₩37.0K

-22.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.2K

$53.6 ₩71.4K

15.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.9K

$13.97 ₩18.6K

17.47%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.2K

$11.81 ₩15.7K

-3.30%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$651 ₩867.5K

199.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.4M

$21.8K ₩29.1M

4.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.7K

$36.84 ₩49.1K

62.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.6K

$65.4 ₩87.1K

-47.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.0K

$93.9 ₩125.2K

-29.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.2K

$113 ₩151.0K

-27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$342 ₩456.6K

169.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩879.0K

$275 ₩367.1K

139.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,197 ₩1.6M

151.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$760 ₩1.0M

89.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.2M

$7,228 ₩9.6M

275.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.1M

$5,619 ₩7.5M

101.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$2,613 ₩3.5M

36.60%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Cheongju

$275 19.5% 58.2% $384

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Cheongju

$488 34.6% 0.9% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Cheongju

$257 18.2% 4.8% $13

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Cheongju

$161 11.4% 12.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Cheongju

$139 9.9% 27.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 8.6% $7.3

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 79.3% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $924 in Seoul and $342 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Seoul vs $49 in Cheongju. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $488, with Seoul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

835,669

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 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 Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cheongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 37% 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: $924 in Seoul versus $342 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,848 per month in Seoul versus $1,409 in Cheongju – Cheongju is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Cheongju – a meal for two runs $49 versus $68 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cheongju is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Cheongju is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seoul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Cheongju are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Cheongju wins on affordability, Seoul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.