Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,848 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Forbes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $2,543 in Forbes.

Seoul $1,848
Forbes $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $3,751 in Forbes.

Seoul $2,986
Forbes $3,751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $4,958 in Forbes.

Seoul $4,125
Forbes $4,958

Living in Seoul costs roughly 27% less than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Forbes 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$15.91 A$22.61

-43.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$94.9 A$135

-27.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$11.31 A$16.07

-35.01%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$3.52 A$5.00

17.05%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$2.99 A$4.24

-45.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$2.37 A$3.37

-65.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$6.98 A$9.92

-46.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$7.40 A$10.52

-17.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$1.69 A$2.41

20.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$2.42 A$3.44

32.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$2.14 A$3.04

105.14%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$5.00 A$7.10

-28.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$10.16 A$14.44

79.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$9.52 A$13.53

10.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$13.72 A$19.49

95.99%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$3.78 A$5.37

107.94%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$3.01 A$4.27

17.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$3.55 A$5.05

60.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$4.92 A$6.99

25.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$2.50 A$3.55

50.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$2.55 A$3.63

-1.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$2.28 A$3.24

23.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$1.45 A$2.06

-23.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$46.43 A$66.0

-92.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$12.36 A$17.57

50.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$4.75 A$6.75

-49.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$5.80 A$8.24

-42.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$2.66 A$3.78

-55.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

$78.5 A$111

-41.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$3.70 A$5.26

-4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$1.72 A$2.45

-65.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$45.70 A$64.9

-80.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$1.25 A$1.78

15.20%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$33.8K A$48.1K

-10.51%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$28.1K A$40.0K

2.66%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$195 A$277

9.05%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$23.66 A$33.62

51.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$53.4 A$75.8

-59.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$59.1 A$84.0

4.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$19.72 A$28.02

-16.78%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$12.05 A$17.13

-5.23%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,301 A$3,269

-15.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$21.3K A$30.3K

6.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$80.6 A$115

-25.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$56.7 A$80.6

-39.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$117 A$166

-43.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$124 A$176

-33.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$1,558 A$2,213

-40.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$1,278 A$1,816

-48.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$2,463 A$3,499

22.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$2,041 A$2,901

-29.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$5,228 A$7,428

419.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$5,146 A$7,312

119.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.9

-30.85%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3% 93.9% $619

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Forbes

$364 14.3% 24.7% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Forbes

$272 10.7% 0.8% $2.2

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Forbes

$275 10.8% 48.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Forbes

$170 6.7% 56.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Forbes

$83 3.3% 1.5% $1.3

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Forbes

$101 4% 76.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $924 in Seoul and $1,558 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Seoul vs $95 in Forbes. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $364, with Forbes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

8,481

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Forbes 8,180 km ≈ 11 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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Forbes differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,848 vs $2,543 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,771 in Seoul and $3,814 in Forbes 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: $924 in Seoul versus $1,558 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,848 per month in Seoul versus $2,543 in Forbes – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Seoul runs roughly 41% less than in Forbes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

For families, Seoul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Forbes, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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