Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and General Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in General Santos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $628 in General Santos.

Seoul $1,794
General Santos $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,009 in General Santos.

Seoul $2,863
General Santos $1,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,391 in General Santos.

Seoul $3,931
General Santos $1,391

Living in Seoul is roughly 186% more expensive than in General Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, General Santos is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.38 ₱213

160.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$27.40 ₱1,725

149.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.72 ₱172

177.21%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.56 ₱161

65.23%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.28 ₱17.41

482.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.25 ₱15.83

196.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.58 ₱99.3

130.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.34 ₱147

162.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$2.00 ₱126

0.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.08 ₱68.2

189.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.87 ₱54.7

396.55%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.86 ₱117

94.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$6.38 ₱402

179.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.77 ₱300

119.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.25 ₱582

178.92%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.74 ₱172

179.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.07 ₱67.2

215.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.45 ₱154

137.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.19 ₱74.6

438.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.98 ₱125

89.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$3.28 ₱207

-22.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.24 ₱78.2

129.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.68 ₱42.60

63.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.46 ₱155

36.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$7.76 ₱488

138.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.25 ₱78.5

92.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.68 ₱106

100.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.39 ₱24.37

192.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$8.15 ₱513

465.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.78 ₱49.25

347.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.25 ₱15.79

152.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$0.82 ₱51.4

980.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.12 ₱70.7

34.82%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

40.25%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

47.54%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$76.6 ₱4,825

183.82%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$6.53 ₱411

438.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$31.67 ₱1,994

-32.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.91 ₱309

130.35%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$109 ₱6,840

1692.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$7,532 ₱474.2K

203.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$59.8 ₱3,767

-4.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$30.67 ₱1,931

8.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$70.3 ₱4,428

1.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$60.7 ₱3,823

35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$174 ₱11.0K

416.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$112 ₱7,068

445.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$359 ₱22.6K

604.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$238 ₱15.0K

431.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

8.31

-50.90%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

General Santos

$112 17.9% 81.7% $500

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

General Santos

$199 31.7% 58.3% $278

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

General Santos

$115 18.3% 58.1% $159

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

General Santos

$81 12.8% 56.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

General Santos

$100 15.9% 9.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6% 87.8% $71

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

General Santos

$12 1.9% 79.5% $46

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 $901 in Seoul and $174 in General Santos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $27.00 in General Santos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $199 per month, with General Santos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 General Santos

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

11:26 11:26 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

697,315

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Seoul General Santos 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
General Santos

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 General Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

General Santos wins on cost – living expenses run 186% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making General Santos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,692 in Seoul and $942 in General Santos 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: $901 in Seoul versus $174 in General Santos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in General Santos – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $628 in General Santos – a 186% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $628 in General Santos versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in General Santos but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes General Santos 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 General Santos 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 General Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 186% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.