Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Gongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongju: $1,522 a month against $1,829 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seoul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
Learn more

Gongju Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,829

/mo nomad

Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Gongju

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

A single person spends $1,829 per month in Seoul vs $1,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Seoul $1,829
Gongju $1,522

A couple spends around $2,973 per month in Seoul vs $2,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Seoul $2,973
Gongju $2,522

A family of three spends $4,116 per month in Seoul vs $3,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Seoul $4,116
Gongju $3,522

Seoul costs about 20% more than Gongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Seoul and Gongju sit above the global median – Seoul by 35%, Gongju by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$7.24 ₩9,696

22.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 ₩93.0K

$47.72 ₩63.9K

45.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 ₩10.0K

$6.68 ₩8,945

12.28%

Cappuccino

$4.04 ₩5,412

$3.70 ₩4,956

9.19%

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

$1.56 ₩2,084

$1.80 ₩2,414

-13.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₩981

$1.38 ₩1,848

-47.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 ₩4,894

$3.65 ₩4,892

0.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 ₩7,869

$4.18 ₩5,600

40.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₩2,787

$2.34 ₩3,128

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 ₩4,029

$3.22 ₩4,315

-6.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 ₩5,601

$3.03 ₩4,056

37.95%

Eggs

$3.63 ₩4,865

$2.68 ₩3,585

35.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.87 ₩23.9K

$10.83 ₩14.5K

65.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₩13.8K

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-1.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.17 ₩35.0K

$24.97 ₩33.4K

4.81%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,930

$11.02 ₩14.8K

-32.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.45 ₩4,622

$3.65 ₩4,889

-5.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.60 ₩7,493

$8.16 ₩10.9K

-31.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.29 ₩8,419

$6.03 ₩8,072

4.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,823

$5.80 ₩7,764

-37.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,356

$3.25 ₩4,345

-22.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 ₩3,713

$2.86 ₩3,824

-3.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,527

$1.27 ₩1,703

-10.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,582

$3.41 ₩4,569

0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ₩24.9K

$18.26 ₩24.5K

1.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₩3,086

$2.38 ₩3,181

-3.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ₩4,475

$3.60 ₩4,821

-7.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₩1,499

$1.20 ₩1,604

-6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.78 ₩62.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,819

$3.64 ₩4,870

-1.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩806

$0.67 ₩894

-10.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$14.65 ₩19.6K

-39.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₩1,996

$1.39 ₩1,866

7.19%

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

$29.7K ₩39.7M

$39.8K ₩53.2M

-25.33%

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

$28.0K ₩37.5M

$33.7K ₩45.1M

-16.84%

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

$216 ₩289.0K

$200 ₩268.2K

7.73%

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

$34.52 ₩46.2K

$36.89 ₩49.4K

-6.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.34 ₩27.2K

$26.87 ₩36.0K

-24.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.2 ₩79.3K

$58.3 ₩78.0K

1.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.93 ₩21.3K

$15.41 ₩20.6K

3.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 ₩14.7K

$11.77 ₩15.8K

-6.46%

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

$1,962 ₩2.6M

$636 ₩852.1K

208.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K ₩35.2M

$21.6K ₩28.9M

21.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ₩83.4K

$105 ₩140.7K

-40.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.82 ₩45.3K

$64.5 ₩86.3K

-47.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 ₩90.9K

$92.4 ₩123.8K

-26.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 ₩111.0K

$128 ₩171.4K

-35.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 ₩1.2M

$424 ₩567.2K

116.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₩875.2K

$343 ₩458.9K

90.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 ₩4.1M

$1,406 ₩1.9M

119.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 ₩2.0M

$936 ₩1.3M

55.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.4K ₩38.0M

$6,877 ₩9.2M

312.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.4K ₩15.2M

$5,486 ₩7.3M

107.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,496 ₩4.7M

$1,309 ₩1.8M

167.19%

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 Gongju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$654 35.7%

Gongju

$343 22.5% 47.6% $311

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$474 25.9%

Gongju

$484 31.8% 2.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$271 14.8%

Gongju

$264 17.4% 2.4% $6.6

Eating Out

Seoul

$181 9.9%

Gongju

$162 10.6% 10.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$111 6.1%

Gongju

$175 11.5% 57.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.4%

Gongju

$82 5.4% 0.7% $0.6

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Gongju

$12 * 0.8% 79.7% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $918 in Seoul versus $424 in Gongju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Seoul are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Seoul versus $48 in Gongju. Groceries tell a different story – $474 in Seoul vs $484 in Gongju – so Seoul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Gongju

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

110,428

💱 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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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 Gongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,829 in Seoul, $1,522 in Gongju – Gongju comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,744 per month in Seoul and $2,283 in Gongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gongju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $918 in Seoul.

Kindergarten costs $1,962 per month in Seoul and $636 in Gongju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,829 in Seoul and $1,522 in Gongju. That makes Gongju about 17% cheaper.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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