Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Derby

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,318 in Derby, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Derby
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Derby Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Derby

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Derby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,318 in Derby.

Seoul $1,794
Derby $2,318

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $3,507 in Derby.

Seoul $2,863
Derby $3,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $4,696 in Derby.

Seoul $3,931
Derby $4,696

Living in Seoul costs roughly 23% less than in Derby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Derby 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$18.32 A$26.25

-51.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.7K

$77.8 A$111

-12.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$10.79 A$15.45

-30.12%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,672

$3.96 A$5.67

6.82%

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

$1.63 ₩2,186

$3.03 A$4.35

-46.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩993

$1.91 A$2.74

-61.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,885

$7.31 A$10.47

-50.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,245

$7.47 A$10.71

-17.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,702

$1.75 A$2.50

14.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,200

$2.86 A$4.10

9.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,793

$2.08 A$2.98

107.69%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,835

$4.62 A$6.62

-21.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$9.77 A$13.99

82.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$8.94 A$12.80

16.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$13.60 A$19.48

89.71%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$3.48 A$4.98

120.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,537

$2.98 A$4.28

13.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,789

$3.36 A$4.81

72.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,592

$4.69 A$6.72

36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,025

$2.48 A$3.56

51.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,404

$2.46 A$3.53

3.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,815

$2.35 A$3.37

20.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,485

$1.73 A$2.48

-35.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,493

$40.51 A$58.0

-91.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$15.55 A$22.27

18.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,213

$4.83 A$6.93

-50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,518

$5.65 A$8.09

-40.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,534

$2.54 A$3.64

-55.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.8K

$87.6 A$125

-47.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,683

$3.03 A$4.35

15.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩847

$1.55 A$2.22

-59.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$37.67 A$54.0

-76.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,023

$1.16 A$1.67

30.17%

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

$29.3K ₩39.3M

$24.0K A$34.4K

21.99%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$30.8K A$44.1K

-8.26%

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

$218 ₩291.7K

$177 A$253

23.00%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$24.66 A$35.32

42.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$59.9 A$85.9

-64.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.9K

$48.44 A$69.4

19.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$15.35 A$21.98

4.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.2K

$13.46 A$19.27

-15.97%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,070 A$2,965

-5.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.7M

$18.4K A$26.4K

24.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.5K

$67.0 A$96.0

-14.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.8K

$62.2 A$89.1

-46.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.9K

$91.0 A$130

-21.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.7K

$131 A$188

-37.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,518 A$2,174

-40.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩820.4K

$1,048 A$1,501

-41.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$2,154 A$3,086

17.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,853 A$2,654

-31.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.5M

$5,285 A$7,571

456.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩16.0M

$4,699 A$6,731

153.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.84

-30.14%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Derby: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Derby

$1K 45.2% 71.3% $436

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Derby

$369 15.9% 22.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Derby

$261 11.3% 4.6% $13

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Derby

$298 12.8% 62% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Derby

$158 6.8% 43.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Derby

$75 3.3% 6.6% $5.3

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Derby

$109 4.7% 89.3% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $1,518 in Derby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $78.0 in Derby. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $369, with Derby cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Derby

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

3,300

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.68 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,497 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.68 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Derby 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Derby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Derby differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $2,318 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,692 in Seoul and $3,477 in Derby to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $1,518 in Derby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Derby pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Seoul – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $78.0 in Derby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,318 in Derby, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Derby. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul 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 Derby 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 Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Derby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.