Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Exeter

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,848 a month against $2,571 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Exeter

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $2,571 in Exeter.

Seoul $1,848
Exeter $2,571

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $3,846 in Exeter.

Seoul $2,986
Exeter $3,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $5,121 in Exeter.

Seoul $4,125
Exeter $5,121

Living in Seoul costs roughly 28% less than in Exeter, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Exeter 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$19.92 £15.00

-54.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$97.8 £73.6

-30.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$9.57 £7.21

-23.20%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$4.96 £3.73

-16.94%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$3.17 £2.38

-48.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$2.51 £1.89

-67.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$7.45 £5.61

-50.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$6.16 £4.63

-0.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$1.52 £1.15

34.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$1.68 £1.26

91.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$1.78 £1.34

146.63%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$4.30 £3.23

-16.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$8.70 £6.55

109.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$8.71 £6.56

20.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$23.73 £17.86

13.32%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$3.12 £2.35

151.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$1.43 £1.07

146.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$2.32 £1.75

145.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$3.19 £2.40

93.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$2.27 £1.71

65.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$1.97 £1.48

27.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$1.61 £1.21

75.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$1.95 £1.47

-43.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$23.49 £17.68

-85.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$9.54 £7.18

95.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$3.74 £2.82

-35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$4.42 £3.33

-23.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$3.92 £2.95

-69.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

$112 £84.3

-58.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$5.75 £4.32

-38.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$2.53 £1.91

-76.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$23.92 £18.00

-62.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$2.04 £1.54

-29.41%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$38.7K £29.1K

-21.79%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$40.1K £30.2K

-28.03%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$469 £353

-54.65%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$15.97 £12.02

124.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$47.00 £35.37

-54.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$39.72 £29.89

55.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$13.18 £9.92

24.51%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$12.62 £9.50

-9.51%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,180 £1,641

-10.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$17.6K £13.3K

29.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$68.0 £51.2

-12.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$31.16 £23.45

9.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$105 £79.3

-37.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$74.2 £55.9

10.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$1,381 £1,039

-33.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$1,050 £790

-37.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$2,160 £1,626

39.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$1,946 £1,465

-26.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$5,743 £4,322

373.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$4,565 £3,436

147.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$3,062 £2,304

16.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.11

-20.16%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Exeter

$1K 40.8% 59.2% $390

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Exeter

$334 13% 31% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Exeter

$532 20.7% 97.1% $262

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Exeter

$320 12.4% 73.4% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Exeter

$125 4.9% 15.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Exeter

$65 2.5% 23.1% $20

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Exeter

$146 5.7% 154% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $924 in Seoul and $1,381 in Exeter. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Seoul vs $98 in Exeter. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $334, with Exeter cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇬🇧 Exeter

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

14:02 2:02 PM

9 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

130,800

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,494 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Exeter 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Exeter

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 Exeter: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Exeter differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,848 vs $2,571 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $1,381 in Exeter. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Seoul – a meal for two runs $68 versus $98 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,848 per month in Seoul versus $2,571 in Exeter – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 Exeter are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.