Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Dumaguete

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumaguete: $791 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Dumaguete
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Dumaguete Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Dumaguete

🇵🇭 Philippines

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Dumaguete

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $791 in Dumaguete.

Seoul $1,794
Dumaguete $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,202 in Dumaguete.

Seoul $2,863
Dumaguete $1,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,612 in Dumaguete.

Seoul $3,931
Dumaguete $1,612

Living in Seoul is roughly 127% more expensive than in Dumaguete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Dumaguete is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.85 ₱242

128.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.19 ₱1,020

322.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.17 ₱262

80.82%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.27 ₱143

86.34%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.72 ₱45.42

126.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.44 ₱27.45

68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.34 ₱84.2

171.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.85 ₱117

232.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.61 ₱101

24.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.33 ₱83.9

135.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.95 ₱59.6

354.74%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.75 ₱110

106.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$8.39 ₱528

112.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.40 ₱277

137.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.01 ₱441

268.05%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.63 ₱103

369.94%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.30 ₱82.0

160.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.51 ₱221

65.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.25 ₱78.7

412.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.43 ₱153

54.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.57 ₱98.8

61.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.79 ₱49.58

259.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.54 ₱34.27

105.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.32 ₱146

44.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$8.84 ₱557

109.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.20 ₱75.7

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.26 ₱79.1

167.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.41 ₱25.84

178.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$10.09 ₱635

356.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.69 ₱43.64

405.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.17 ₱10.41

270.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$2.19 ₱138

304.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.06 ₱66.7

42.45%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

40.14%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$24.1K ₱1.5M

16.89%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$67.1 ₱4,227

223.98%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$10.05 ₱632

249.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$25.78 ₱1,623

-17.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$23.76 ₱1,496

144.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$4.06 ₱256

296.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$7.23 ₱455

56.43%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$57.8 ₱3,639

3269.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$1,698 ₱106.9K

1245.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$94.4 ₱5,945

-39.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$32.11 ₱2,022

3.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$102 ₱6,429

-29.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$112 ₱7,053

-26.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$238 ₱15.0K

278.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$207 ₱13.0K

195.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$429 ₱27.0K

488.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$359 ₱22.6K

253.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,082 ₱194.0K

854.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$693 ₱43.7K

1616.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$276 ₱17.4K

1221.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

-41.71%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dumaguete: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Dumaguete

$207 26.2% 66.2% $405

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Dumaguete

$191 24.1% 59.9% $286

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Dumaguete

$103 13% 62.4% $171

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Dumaguete

$86 10.8% 53.4% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Dumaguete

$153 19.4% 39.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Dumaguete

$38 4.8% 52.6% $42

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Dumaguete

$13 1.7% 76.9% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $238 in Dumaguete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1222% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $16.00 in Dumaguete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $191 per month, with Dumaguete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Dumaguete

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

10:39 10:39 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

134,103

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Dumaguete 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Dumaguete

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 Dumaguete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Dumaguete differ by about 127% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $791 including rent). Dumaguete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1222% 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: $901 in Seoul versus $238 in Dumaguete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $791 in Dumaguete – a 127% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dumaguete runs roughly 357% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $791 in Dumaguete versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dumaguete but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.