Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Chungju

For one person, living is cheaper in Chungju: $1,472 a month against $1,829 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Chungju
Learn more

Chungju Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,829

/mo nomad

Chungju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Chungju

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

A single person spends $1,829 per month in Seoul vs $1,472 in Chungju, rent included.

Seoul $1,829
Chungju $1,472

A couple spends around $2,973 per month in Seoul vs $2,441 in Chungju, rent included.

Seoul $2,973
Chungju $2,441

A family of three spends $4,116 per month in Seoul vs $3,411 in Chungju, rent included.

Seoul $4,116
Chungju $3,411

Seoul costs about 24% more than Chungju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Seoul and Chungju sit above the global median – Seoul by 35%, Chungju by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$7.65 ₩10.3K

15.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 ₩93.1K

$48.57 ₩65.1K

42.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 ₩10.1K

$6.49 ₩8,706

15.56%

Cappuccino

$4.04 ₩5,418

$3.71 ₩4,977

8.89%

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

$1.56 ₩2,087

$1.84 ₩2,470

-15.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₩983

$1.38 ₩1,849

-47.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 ₩4,900

$3.74 ₩5,014

-2.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 ₩7,879

$4.16 ₩5,582

41.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₩2,790

$2.28 ₩3,056

-8.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 ₩4,034

$2.94 ₩3,948

2.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 ₩5,608

$3.12 ₩4,186

33.97%

Eggs

$3.63 ₩4,871

$2.70 ₩3,623

34.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.87 ₩24.0K

$11.06 ₩14.8K

61.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₩13.8K

$7.22 ₩9,680

42.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.17 ₩35.1K

$25.09 ₩33.6K

4.30%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,942

$9.09 ₩12.2K

-18.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.45 ₩4,627

$3.64 ₩4,877

-5.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.60 ₩7,502

$8.21 ₩11.0K

-31.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.29 ₩8,429

$6.04 ₩8,095

4.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,829

$6.06 ₩8,120

-40.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,360

$3.21 ₩4,308

-21.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 ₩3,718

$2.85 ₩3,824

-2.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,529

$1.32 ₩1,769

-13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,588

$3.25 ₩4,356

5.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ₩24.9K

$18.65 ₩25.0K

-0.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₩3,090

$2.42 ₩3,251

-4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ₩4,480

$2.91 ₩3,903

14.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₩1,501

$1.13 ₩1,509

-0.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.78 ₩62.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,825

$3.53 ₩4,729

1.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩807

$0.68 ₩909

-11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$14.61 ₩19.6K

-39.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₩1,998

$1.39 ₩1,870

7.19%

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

$29.7K ₩39.8M

$39.8K ₩53.4M

-25.46%

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

$28.0K ₩37.5M

$33.2K ₩44.5M

-15.63%

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

$216 ₩289.3K

$199 ₩267.3K

8.22%

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

$34.52 ₩46.3K

$26.32 ₩35.3K

31.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.34 ₩27.3K

$27.05 ₩36.3K

-24.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.2 ₩79.4K

$53.9 ₩72.2K

9.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.93 ₩21.4K

$15.85 ₩21.2K

0.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 ₩14.8K

$11.77 ₩15.8K

-6.46%

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

$1,962 ₩2.6M

$628 ₩841.7K

212.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K ₩35.2M

$21.5K ₩28.8M

22.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ₩83.5K

$72.9 ₩97.6K

-14.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.82 ₩45.3K

$37.90 ₩50.8K

-10.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 ₩91.0K

$73.6 ₩98.6K

-7.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 ₩111.1K

$113 ₩151.9K

-26.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 ₩1.2M

$438 ₩587.0K

109.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₩876.2K

$374 ₩501.0K

74.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 ₩4.1M

$1,424 ₩1.9M

117.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 ₩2.0M

$1,002 ₩1.3M

45.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.4K ₩38.1M

$6,880 ₩9.2M

312.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.4K ₩15.3M

$6,119 ₩8.2M

85.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,496 ₩4.7M

$1,696 ₩2.3M

106.17%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chungju: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$654 35.7%

Chungju

$374 25.4% 42.8% $280

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$474 25.9%

Chungju

$457 31.1% 3.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$271 14.8%

Chungju

$253 17.2% 6.6% $18

Eating Out

Seoul

$181 9.9%

Chungju

$165 11.2% 8.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$111 6.1%

Chungju

$134 9.1% 20.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.4%

Chungju

$77 5.3% 4.7% $3.8

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Chungju

$11 * 0.8% 80.3% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $918 in Seoul versus $438 in Chungju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Seoul are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Seoul versus $49 in Chungju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $474 vs $457 – making Chungju the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Chungju

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

208,529

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 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 Chungju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 24% more than Chungju, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,744 per month in Seoul and $2,208 in Chungju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chungju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $438 there versus $918 in Seoul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,829 in Seoul and $1,472 in Chungju. That makes Chungju about 20% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,962 per month in Seoul and $628 in Chungju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,829 in Seoul and $1,472 in Chungju. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chungju – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chungju. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.