Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Gili Air

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Air: $812 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Gili Air
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Gili Air Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Gili Air

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Gili Air

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $812 in Gili Air, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Gili Air $812

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,337 in Gili Air, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Gili Air $1,337

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,861 in Gili Air, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Gili Air $1,861

Seoul costs about 122% more than Gili Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Gili Air is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

394.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$19.34 Rp 348.1K

244.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

150.50%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

193.01%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

78.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.44 Rp 7,928

79.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

149.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.44 Rp 43.9K

151.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

86.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.60 Rp 28.7K

90.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

419.75%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

140.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$12.29 Rp 221.3K

46.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

267.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$8.56 Rp 154.0K

209.23%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.49 Rp 44.9K

217.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

201.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

235.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

367.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.34 Rp 24.0K

176.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

47.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

293.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.38 Rp 6,869

205.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.59 Rp 28.7K

111.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$15.78 Rp 284.0K

18.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

34.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

60.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.18 Rp 3,182

527.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$6.64 Rp 119.6K

603.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$0.38 Rp 6,851

826.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.34 Rp 6,206

88.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$5.04 Rp 90.6K

73.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

104.23%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.0K Rp 342.1M

56.09%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$25.7K Rp 461.8M

9.90%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

227.07%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$5.21 Rp 93.7K

578.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$14.68 Rp 264.3K

40.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$32.16 Rp 578.8K

79.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$10.43 Rp 187.8K

55.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$2.51 Rp 45.1K

352.99%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$336 Rp 6.0M

485.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$3,931 Rp 70.8M

479.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$37.54 Rp 675.7K

53.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$28.70 Rp 516.5K

15.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

10.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$63.0 Rp 1.1M

33.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$543 Rp 9.8M

61.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$331 Rp 6.0M

88.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$1,705 Rp 30.7M

47.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$807 Rp 14.5M

59.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$1,306 Rp 23.5M

2225.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,074 Rp 19.3M

1006.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

13.78

-70.39%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Gili Air: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Gili Air

$331 40.8% 46.9% $293

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Gili Air

$205 25.2% 57.3% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Gili Air

$84 10.4% 68.4% $182

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Gili Air

$58 7.2% 68.6% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Gili Air

$87 10.7% 21.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Gili Air

$37 4.6% 53.8% $43

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Gili Air

$9.5 1.2% 83.7% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $543 in Gili Air. 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $19.00 in Gili Air. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $205 – making Gili Air the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇮🇩 Gili Air

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,800

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Gili Air 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Gili Air

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 Gili Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $1,218 in Gili Air. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,804 in Seoul and $812 in Gili Air. That's a gap of about 122%.

Public transport costs about 604% less in Gili Air. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gili Air, where all-in costs run around $812, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Gili Air it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gili Air – 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 Gili Air. 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.