Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Erdenet

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $377 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Erdenet
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Erdenet Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Erdenet

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$377

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Erdenet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $377 in Erdenet.

Seoul $1,822
Erdenet $377

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $617 in Erdenet.

Seoul $2,847
Erdenet $617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $858 in Erdenet.

Seoul $3,872
Erdenet $858

Living in Seoul is roughly 383% more expensive than in Erdenet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Erdenet is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

123.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$27.28 MNT 98.0K

145.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

81.86%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.29 MNT 8,214

78.17%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.66 MNT 2,373

142.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.40 MNT 1,454

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.70 MNT 6,100

114.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$1.63 MNT 5,840

264.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.01 MNT 3,627

102.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$0.91 MNT 3,281

238.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$2.85 MNT 10.3K

47.72%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$2.02 MNT 7,270

76.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$7.05 MNT 25.3K

154.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$6.78 MNT 24.4K

56.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$4.54 MNT 16.3K

482.38%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$2.24 MNT 8,038

231.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.68 MNT 6,054

110.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$1.63 MNT 5,857

260.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.37 MNT 4,925

364.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$1.43 MNT 5,136

162.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$0.85 MNT 3,040

192.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.41 MNT 5,071

107.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.98 MNT 3,539

17.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$2.83 MNT 10.2K

16.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$5.67 MNT 20.4K

226.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.62 MNT 5,830

40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.65 MNT 5,938

98.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.15 MNT 549

660.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$19.59 MNT 70.4K

132.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$0.61 MNT 2,209

470.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.43 MNT 1,546

39.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$0.75 MNT 2,689

100.00%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$57.7 MNT 207.4K

261.80%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$2.86 MNT 10.3K

1128.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$14.06 MNT 50.5K

50.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$281 MNT 1.0M

577.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$2,474 MNT 8.9M

810.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$218 MNT 782.9K

1574.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Erdenet: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Erdenet

$188 50.3% 60.7% $291

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Erdenet

$75 20% 71.9% $191

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Erdenet

$88 23.6% 51.9% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Erdenet

$23 6.1% 59.3% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

Seoul pays 1575% 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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $27.00 in Erdenet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $188 per month, with Erdenet cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇳 Erdenet

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

14:09 2:09 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

86,866

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Erdenet 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Erdenet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Erdenet differ by about 383% in total monthly costs ($1,822 vs $377 including rent). Erdenet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1575% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,902 in Seoul versus $281 in Erdenet. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 154% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $377 in Erdenet versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Erdenet but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Erdenet 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 Erdenet 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 Erdenet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 383% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.