Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and General Trias

For one person, living is cheaper in General Trias: $626 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
30

Cost of Living Index in General Trias
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General Trias Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

General Trias

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $626 in General Trias, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
General Trias $626

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $979 in General Trias, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
General Trias $979

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,332 in General Trias, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
General Trias $1,332

Seoul costs about 187% more than General Trias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while General Trias is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.89 ₱245

126.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.52 ₱1,040

313.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.53 ₱160

198.02%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.86 ₱117

127.42%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.41 ₱26.11

297.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.31 ₱19.33

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.03 ₱64.6

253.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.49 ₱93.6

312.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.68 ₱106

19.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.16 ₱73.0

169.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.94 ₱59.1

359.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.07 ₱130

74.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$5.21 ₱328

242.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.45 ₱218

202.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.65 ₱481

237.25%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.20 ₱139

248.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.55 ₱97.7

118.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.40 ₱151

142.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.02 ₱64.5

528.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.68 ₱106

123.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.78 ₱112

42.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.67 ₱42.05

323.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.53 ₱33.24

109.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.03 ₱191

10.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$8.80 ₱554

110.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.92 ₱57.8

160.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.09 ₱131

61.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.22 ₱14.09

418.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$11.75 ₱740

292.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.78 ₱48.93

347.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.23 ₱14.46

173.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.93 ₱121

359.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.19 ₱75.2

26.89%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$11.6K ₱731.6K

151.89%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.5K ₱1.2M

44.44%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$31.82 ₱2,003

583.60%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$17.20 ₱1,083

104.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$21.84 ₱1,375

-2.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$36.64 ₱2,307

58.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$5.04 ₱318

219.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.31 ₱334

112.99%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$134 ₱8,451

1350.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$10.6K ₱667.3K

115.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$28.34 ₱1,784

101.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$19.59 ₱1,234

70.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$71.4 ₱4,494

0.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$56.1 ₱3,532

47.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$97.4 ₱6,132

824.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$167 ₱10.5K

267.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$514 ₱32.4K

391.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$302 ₱19.0K

318.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,136 ₱134.5K

1277.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,112 ₱70.0K

970.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.75

-39.56%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for General Trias: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

General Trias

$167 26.6% 72.8% $445

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

General Trias

$175 28% 63.2% $302

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

General Trias

$71 11.3% 74.1% $203

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

General Trias

$72 11.5% 60.8% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

General Trias

$79 12.6% 28.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

General Trias

$47 7.6% 41.4% $33

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

General Trias

$15 2.3% 74.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $97.4 in General Trias. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $17.00 in General Trias. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $175 – making General Trias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 General Trias

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

03:51 3:51 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

450,583

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul General Trias 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
General Trias

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 Trias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 187% more than General Trias, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $938 in General Trias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in General Trias, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 292% less in General Trias. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $134 in General Trias. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in General Trias, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Seoul at $1,794. In General Trias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward General Trias – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with General Trias. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.