For one person, living is cheaper in Fiji: $709 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
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 Fiji actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $709 in Fiji.
Seoul $1,822
Fiji $709
Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,144 in Fiji.
Seoul $2,847
Fiji $1,144
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $1,578 in Fiji.
Seoul $3,872
Fiji $1,578
🌍
Living in Seoul is roughly 157% more expensive than in Fiji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Fiji is 47% below.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Fiji
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.10₩12.2K
$4.32FJD 9.67
110.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.0₩90.0K
$31.65FJD 70.9
111.75%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$7.42₩9,964
$6.54FJD 14.64
13.46%
Cappuccino
$4.08₩5,482
$2.50FJD 5.59
63.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60₩2,146
$1.35FJD 3.01
18.52%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80₩1,081
$1.05FJD 2.34
-23.81%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$3.65₩4,898
$4.08FJD 9.14
-10.54%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$5.94₩7,974
$4.04FJD 9.05
47.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Fiji
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.05₩2,748
$1.25FJD 2.80
64.00%
White Bread(500g)
$3.08₩4,139
$0.26FJD 0.59
1084.62%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$4.21₩5,659
$0.85FJD 1.90
395.29%
Eggs
$3.57₩4,795
$3.08FJD 6.90
15.91%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$17.95₩24.1K
$10.64FJD 23.82
68.70%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$10.64₩14.3K
$5.30FJD 11.87
100.75%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$26.44₩35.5K
-
-
Apples(1kg)
$7.42₩9,969
$1.30FJD 2.92
470.77%
Banana(1kg)
$3.53₩4,743
$0.86FJD 1.94
310.47%
Oranges(1kg)
$5.87₩7,884
$1.83FJD 4.10
220.77%
Tomato(1kg)
$6.37₩8,554
$1.31FJD 2.93
386.26%
Potato(1kg)
$3.75₩5,040
$0.70FJD 1.56
435.71%
Onion(1kg)
$2.49₩3,345
$0.74FJD 1.65
236.49%
Lettuce(1 head)
$2.92₩3,920
$0.88FJD 1.96
231.82%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15₩1,545
$0.52FJD 1.16
121.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.29₩4,418
$10.95FJD 24.51
-69.95%
Wine(Bottle)
$18.49₩24.8K
$6.19FJD 13.86
198.71%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28₩3,064
$3.97FJD 8.89
-42.57%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28₩4,408
$4.12FJD 9.22
-20.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Fiji
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$1.14₩1,529
$0.93FJD 2.07
22.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$45.47₩61.1K
-
-
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$3.48₩4,674
$1.12FJD 2.52
210.71%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.60₩805
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$8.70₩11.7K
-
-
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.50₩2,008
$1.25FJD 2.81
20.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K₩39.1M
$46.1KFJD 103.2K
-36.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K₩37.9M
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Fiji
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$209₩280.5K
$53.5FJD 120
290.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.13₩47.2K
$13.37FJD 29.94
162.75%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.18₩28.4K
$17.80FJD 39.86
18.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Fiji
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$57.3₩77.0K
$21.89FJD 49.01
161.90%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.89₩21.3K
$4.42FJD 9.89
259.50%
Cinema Ticket
$11.33₩15.2K
$4.10FJD 9.18
176.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Fiji
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$1,902₩2.6M
$44.79FJD 100
4147.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$22.5K₩30.2M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Fiji
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9₩79.1K
$19.42FJD 43.48
203.35%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.12₩43.1K
-
-
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$70.1₩94.2K
$30.25FJD 67.7
131.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.5₩110.8K
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Fiji
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$885₩1.2M
$680FJD 1,523
30.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$624₩837.5K
$270FJD 604
130.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$2,494₩3.3M
$1,095FJD 2,452
127.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,275₩1.7M
$610FJD 1,366
108.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$29.8K₩40.1M
$1,289FJD 2,886
2215.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$11.8K₩15.9M
$1,293FJD 2,896
816.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Fiji
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$3,649₩4.9M
$538FJD 1,205
578.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
4.08
6
-32.00%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026
Last update for Fiji: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Seoul
$624 34.7%
Fiji
$270 38.4% ↓ 56.7%$354
🛒Groceries & Markets
Seoul
$479 26.7%
Fiji
$169 * 24% ↓ 64.8%$310
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
$265 14.8%
Fiji
$85 12% ↓ 68.1%$181
🍽Eating Out
Seoul
$184 10.2%
Fiji
$122 17.4% ↓ 33.5%$62
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
$110 6.1%
Fiji
$22 * 3.2% ↓ 79.6%$87
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
$80 4.5%
Fiji
$30 4.3% ↓ 62.4%$50
🚌Getting Around
Seoul
$57 3.1%
Fiji
$4.8 * 0.7% ↓ 91.5%$52
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Seoul
$1.3K 32.5%
Fiji
$610 38.3% ↓ 52.1%$664
🛒Groceries & Markets
Seoul
$1.1K 28.4%
Fiji
$369 * 23.2% ↓ 66.9%$747
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
$300 7.7%
Fiji
$98 6.1% ↓ 67.4%$202
🍽Eating Out
Seoul
$701 17.9%
Fiji
$392 24.6% ↓ 44.1%$309
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
$244 6.2%
Fiji
$50 * 3.1% ↓ 79.6%$194
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
$176 4.5%
Fiji
$65 4.1% ↓ 63.3%$111
🚌Getting Around
Seoul
$115 2.9%
Fiji
$12 * 0.7% ↓ 90%$104
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $680 in Fiji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Seoul pays 578% 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 $32.00 in Fiji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $169 per month, with Fiji cheaper across the board.
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 Fiji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fiji cheaper than Seoul?
Fiji is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 157% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Seoul or Fiji?
Average pay runs 578% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Seoul and Fiji?
Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $680 in Fiji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Seoul and in Fiji?
Supermarket bills run roughly 184% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Seoul and in Fiji?
All in, you'll spend $1,822 per month in Seoul versus $709 in Fiji – a 157% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Seoul or in Fiji?
At $709 in Fiji versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fiji but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Fiji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Seoul or in Fiji?
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.
Which city is safer, Seoul or Fiji?
Safety-wise, Seoul and Fiji are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Fiji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.