Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Gimhae

For one person, living is cheaper in Gimhae: $1,553 a month against $1,829 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seoul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Gimhae
Learn more

Gimhae Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,829

/mo nomad

Gimhae

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Gimhae

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,829 in Seoul versus $1,553 in Gimhae.

Seoul $1,829
Gimhae $1,553

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,973 in Seoul versus $2,462 in Gimhae.

Seoul $2,973
Gimhae $2,462

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,116 in Seoul versus $3,371 in Gimhae.

Seoul $4,116
Gimhae $3,371

Living in Seoul is roughly 18% more expensive than in Gimhae, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 35% above, Gimhae 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$7.61 ₩10.2K

16.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 ₩93.0K

$49.21 ₩65.9K

41.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 ₩10.0K

$6.69 ₩8,960

12.11%

Cappuccino

$4.04 ₩5,412

$3.76 ₩5,031

7.45%

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

$1.56 ₩2,084

$1.87 ₩2,507

-16.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₩981

$1.39 ₩1,863

-47.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 ₩4,894

$3.76 ₩5,035

-2.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 ₩7,869

$4.39 ₩5,875

33.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₩2,787

$2.31 ₩3,098

-9.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 ₩4,029

$3.24 ₩4,339

-7.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 ₩5,601

$3.05 ₩4,089

37.05%

Eggs

$3.63 ₩4,865

$2.61 ₩3,499

39.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.87 ₩23.9K

$11.14 ₩14.9K

60.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₩13.8K

$10.49 ₩14.0K

-1.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.17 ₩35.0K

$24.45 ₩32.7K

7.03%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,930

$10.94 ₩14.6K

-32.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.45 ₩4,622

$3.55 ₩4,752

-2.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.60 ₩7,493

$8.18 ₩11.0K

-31.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.29 ₩8,419

$5.84 ₩7,817

7.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,823

$6.03 ₩8,070

-40.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,356

$3.29 ₩4,410

-23.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 ₩3,713

$2.75 ₩3,681

0.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,527

$1.33 ₩1,783

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,582

$3.26 ₩4,368

4.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ₩24.9K

$18.65 ₩25.0K

-0.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₩3,086

$2.37 ₩3,171

-2.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ₩4,475

$3.53 ₩4,726

-5.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₩1,499

$1.21 ₩1,619

-7.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.78 ₩62.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,819

$3.47 ₩4,648

3.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩806

$0.67 ₩894

-10.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$14.75 ₩19.7K

-39.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₩1,996

$1.27 ₩1,705

17.32%

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

$29.7K ₩39.7M

$39.7K ₩53.1M

-25.14%

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

$28.0K ₩37.5M

$33.4K ₩44.8M

-16.28%

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

$216 ₩289.0K

$195 ₩261.4K

10.53%

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

$34.52 ₩46.2K

$36.82 ₩49.3K

-6.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.34 ₩27.2K

$27.09 ₩36.3K

-24.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.2 ₩79.3K

$46.27 ₩62.0K

27.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.93 ₩21.3K

$15.19 ₩20.3K

4.87%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 ₩14.7K

$11.94 ₩16.0K

-7.79%

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

$1,962 ₩2.6M

$630 ₩843.4K

211.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K ₩35.2M

$21.8K ₩29.1M

20.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ₩83.4K

$102 ₩137.0K

-39.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.82 ₩45.3K

$65.1 ₩87.1K

-48.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 ₩90.9K

$93.9 ₩125.7K

-27.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 ₩111.0K

$127 ₩169.7K

-34.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 ₩1.2M

$505 ₩675.5K

81.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₩875.2K

$388 ₩519.2K

68.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 ₩4.1M

$1,203 ₩1.6M

157.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 ₩2.0M

$801 ₩1.1M

81.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.4K ₩38.0M

$7,801 ₩10.4M

264.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.4K ₩15.2M

$5,673 ₩7.6M

100.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,496 ₩4.7M

$2,533 ₩3.4M

38.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.22

-3.32%

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

Last update for Seoul: November 1, 2026

Last update for Gimhae: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$654 35.7%

Gimhae

$388 25% 40.7% $266

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$474 25.9%

Gimhae

$483 31.1% 2% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$271 14.8%

Gimhae

$259 16.7% 4.3% $12

Eating Out

Seoul

$181 9.9%

Gimhae

$167 10.7% 8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$111 6.1%

Gimhae

$175 11.2% 57.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.4%

Gimhae

$70 4.5% 13.7% $11

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Gimhae

$12 * 0.8% 79.9% $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 $918 in Seoul and $505 in Gimhae. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Seoul vs $49 in Gimhae. Groceries flip the comparison at $474 vs $483, with Seoul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Gimhae

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

532,132

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Gimhae: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gimhae wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gimhae the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $918 in Seoul versus $505 in Gimhae. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,829 per month in Seoul versus $1,553 in Gimhae – Gimhae is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Gimhae – a meal for two runs $49 versus $69 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Gimhae is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Safety-wise, Seoul and Gimhae are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Gimhae wins on affordability, Seoul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.