Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Gili Trawangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Trawangan: $948 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Seoul
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,804
/mo nomad
Gili Trawangan
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$948
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Seoul versus $948 in Gili Trawangan.

  • Seoul $1,804
  • Gili Trawangan $948

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Seoul versus $1,580 in Gili Trawangan.

  • Seoul $2,877
  • Gili Trawangan $1,580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,950 in Seoul versus $2,213 in Gili Trawangan.

  • Seoul $3,950
  • Gili Trawangan $2,213

Living in Seoul is roughly 90% more expensive than in Gili Trawangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Gili Trawangan is 30% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.10 ₩12.1K
$2.24 Rp 40.3K
306.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.7 ₩88.6K
$23.76 Rp 427.7K
180.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.49 ₩9,959
$3.74 Rp 67.4K
100.27%
Cappuccino
$4.19 ₩5,569
$1.83 Rp 32.9K
128.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ₩2,067
$1.09 Rp 19.7K
42.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 ₩1,055
$0.55 Rp 9,840
43.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.64 ₩4,846
$1.76 Rp 31.7K
106.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.14 ₩8,164
$2.99 Rp 53.8K
105.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.11 ₩2,811
$1.16 Rp 20.8K
81.90%
White Bread (500g)
$3.05 ₩4,051
$1.75 Rp 31.6K
74.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.21 ₩5,599
$0.94 Rp 17.0K
347.87%
Eggs
$3.54 ₩4,709
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
115.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.02 ₩24.0K
$13.01 Rp 234.2K
38.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.35 ₩13.8K
$2.99 Rp 53.9K
246.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.47 ₩35.2K
$9.03 Rp 162.6K
193.13%
Apples (1kg)
$7.91 ₩10.5K
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
192.96%
Banana (1kg)
$3.44 ₩4,578
$1.16 Rp 20.8K
196.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.64 ₩7,493
$1.77 Rp 31.9K
218.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.41 ₩8,517
$1.45 Rp 26.2K
342.07%
Potato (1kg)
$3.71 ₩4,938
$1.37 Rp 24.7K
170.80%
Onion (1kg)
$2.52 ₩3,345
$1.76 Rp 31.7K
43.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.87 ₩3,816
$0.74 Rp 13.4K
287.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 ₩1,536
$0.41 Rp 7,341
182.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.37 ₩4,480
$1.73 Rp 31.1K
94.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.72 ₩24.9K
$17.33 Rp 311.9K
8.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28 ₩3,036
$1.75 Rp 31.6K
30.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 ₩4,397
$2.22 Rp 40.0K
49.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Gili Trawangan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.13 ₩1,497
$0.21 Rp 3,778
438.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.73 ₩62.1K
$7.14 Rp 128.5K
554.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.52 ₩4,684
$0.40 Rp 7,268
780.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₩849
$0.37 Rp 6,649
72.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.76 ₩11.7K
$5.09 Rp 91.6K
72.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₩1,930
$0.68 Rp 12.3K
113.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.7K ₩39.4M
$20.6K Rp 370.8M
43.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K ₩37.5M
$28.0K Rp 503.7M
0.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$211 ₩280.4K
$69.7 Rp 1.3M
202.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.36 ₩47.0K
$5.49 Rp 98.9K
544.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.57 ₩27.4K
$15.46 Rp 278.3K
33.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.7 ₩76.7K
$39.13 Rp 704.3K
47.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.20 ₩21.5K
$12.90 Rp 232.3K
25.58%
Cinema Ticket
$11.37 ₩15.1K
$3.09 Rp 55.6K
267.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,967 ₩2.6M
$347 Rp 6.3M
466.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.8K ₩30.3M
$4,182 Rp 75.3M
444.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 ₩76.4K
$38.51 Rp 693.1K
49.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.08 ₩44.0K
$30.37 Rp 546.7K
8.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.1 ₩93.2K
$66.6 Rp 1.2M
5.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.3 ₩112.0K
$67.8 Rp 1.2M
24.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Gili Trawangan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$878 ₩1.2M
$677 Rp 12.2M
29.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 ₩829.7K
$419 Rp 7.5M
48.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,513 ₩3.3M
$2,150 Rp 38.7M
16.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,287 ₩1.7M
$1,042 Rp 18.8M
23.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$30.4K ₩40.4M
$1,665 Rp 30.0M
1723.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.9K ₩15.8M
$1,371 Rp 24.7M
766.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Gili Trawangan
Difference
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 Trawangan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seoul
$624
Gili Trawangan
$419 32.8% $205
Groceries & Markets
Seoul
$480
Gili Trawangan
$219 54.4% $261
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
$267
Gili Trawangan
$91 66% $176
Eating Out
Seoul
$185
Gili Trawangan
$72 60.9% $113
Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
$110
Gili Trawangan
$92 17% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
$80
Gili Trawangan
$45 43.7% $35
Getting Around
Seoul
$58
Gili Trawangan
$10 82.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Seoul and $677 in Gili Trawangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $24.00 in Gili Trawangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $480 vs $219 per month, with Gili Trawangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Seoul
🇮🇩 Gili Trawangan
🕒 Local time
03:04 3:04 AM
02:04 2:04 AM
1 h behind Seoul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,509,458 Capital
1,500
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seoul Gili Trawangan 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Seoul
  • Gili Trawangan

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 Trawangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gili Trawangan cheaper than Seoul?
Gili Trawangan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $2,707 in Seoul and $1,422 in Gili Trawangan 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.
What is the rent difference between Seoul and Gili Trawangan?
Rent for a central apartment: $878 in Seoul versus $677 in Gili Trawangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Seoul and in Gili Trawangan?
Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Seoul or in Gili Trawangan?
Dining out is cheaper in Gili Trawangan – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Seoul or in Gili Trawangan?
At $948 in Gili Trawangan versus $1,804 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gili Trawangan but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Gili Trawangan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Seoul or in Gili Trawangan?
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 Gili Trawangan?
Safety-wise, Seoul and Gili Trawangan 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 Gili Trawangan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Seoul vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?