Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,822 a month against $2,121 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
Learn more

Gizo Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Gizo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $2,121 in Gizo.

Seoul $1,822
Gizo $2,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $3,041 in Gizo.

Seoul $2,847
Gizo $3,041

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $3,960 in Gizo.

Seoul $3,872
Gizo $3,960

Living in Seoul costs roughly 14% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Gizo 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$3.15 SBD 25.40

188.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$56.5 SBD 456

18.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$15.76 SBD 127

-52.92%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.76 SBD 22.25

47.83%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$1.26 SBD 10.17

26.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$1.25 SBD 10.10

-36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$2.55 SBD 20.61

43.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$2.53 SBD 20.43

134.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$3.29 SBD 26.57

-37.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.32 SBD 10.65

133.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$1.40 SBD 11.32

200.71%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$7.24 SBD 58.5

-50.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$8.64 SBD 69.8

107.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$6.33 SBD 51.1

68.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$8.74 SBD 70.6

202.52%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$6.88 SBD 55.5

7.85%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$6.01 SBD 48.50

-41.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$6.33 SBD 51.2

-7.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$3.04 SBD 24.56

109.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$3.03 SBD 24.49

23.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$2.41 SBD 19.50

3.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$2.43 SBD 19.61

20.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$1.33 SBD 10.77

-13.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$4.27 SBD 34.49

-22.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$12.57 SBD 102

47.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.89 SBD 15.24

20.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$2.19 SBD 17.67

49.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.39 SBD 3.12

192.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$31.04 SBD 251

46.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.23 SBD 9.91

182.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$2.45 SBD 19.76

-75.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$12.41 SBD 100

-29.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.77 SBD 14.25

-15.25%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$20.6K SBD 166.3K

41.38%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$21.5K SBD 173.4K

31.30%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$756 SBD 6,107

-72.38%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$13.69 SBD 111

156.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$125 SBD 1,008

-83.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$18.41 SBD 149

211.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$6.05 SBD 48.87

162.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$4.39 SBD 35.43

158.09%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$121 SBD 981

1466.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$1,253 SBD 10.1K

1696.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$24.88 SBD 201

136.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$92.0 SBD 743

-65.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$100 SBD 809

-29.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$90.5 SBD 731

-8.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$608 SBD 4,908

45.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$594 SBD 4,799

4.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$618 SBD 4,991

303.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$1,234 SBD 9,964

3.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$86.8K SBD 700.6K

-65.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$395 SBD 3,192

822.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

16.33

-75.02%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Gizo

$594 27.2% 4.7% $29

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Gizo

$354 16.2% 26.1% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Gizo

$895 40.9% 238% $630

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Gizo

$133 6.1% 27.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Gizo

$138 6.3% 26.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 66% $53

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 18.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $608 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 823% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $56.0 in Gizo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $354 per month, with Gizo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

7,177

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Gizo 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Gizo

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 Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Seoul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 823% 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: $885 in Seoul versus $608 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Gizo pay roughly 35% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Seoul – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $56.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,822 in Seoul versus $2,121 in Gizo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul 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 Gizo 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 Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.