Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Halmstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Halmstad: $1,608 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Halmstad
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Halmstad Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Halmstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Halmstad

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,608 in Halmstad, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Halmstad $1,608

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $2,517 in Halmstad, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Halmstad $2,517

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $3,426 in Halmstad, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Halmstad $3,426

Seoul costs about 15% more than Halmstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Halmstad sit above the global median – Seoul by 36%, Halmstad by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$13.09 SEK 130

-30.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$70.6 SEK 701

-3.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$11.47 SEK 114

-35.92%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$4.67 SEK 46.42

-11.78%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$2.86 SEK 28.43

-42.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$2.38 SEK 23.62

-65.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$7.02 SEK 69.7

-47.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$7.18 SEK 71.3

-14.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$1.49 SEK 14.79

36.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$2.49 SEK 24.73

28.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$3.16 SEK 31.38

38.92%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$3.34 SEK 33.14

7.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$11.17 SEK 111

63.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$8.98 SEK 89.2

17.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$16.48 SEK 164

63.17%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$3.12 SEK 31.00

151.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$2.53 SEK 25.13

39.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$2.99 SEK 29.71

90.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$3.99 SEK 39.61

54.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$1.53 SEK 15.22

145.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$1.48 SEK 14.66

69.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$1.97 SEK 19.52

43.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$0.86 SEK 8.49

29.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$6.58 SEK 65.4

-49.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$10.43 SEK 104

78.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$2.01 SEK 19.97

20.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$2.24 SEK 22.25

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$2.82 SEK 28.05

-57.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

$65.4 SEK 649

-29.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$6.06 SEK 60.2

-41.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$1.65 SEK 16.42

-63.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$59.1 SEK 587

-84.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$1.83 SEK 18.18

-21.31%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$33.2K SEK 329.7K

-8.82%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$33.3K SEK 330.4K

-13.15%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$105 SEK 1,042

102.60%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$19.73 SEK 196

81.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$34.15 SEK 339

-37.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$34.85 SEK 346

76.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$16.80 SEK 167

-32.02%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$149 SEK 1,482

1205.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$4,359 SEK 43.3K

422.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$88.7 SEK 880

-32.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$32.58 SEK 324

4.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$89.1 SEK 885

-25.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$130 SEK 1,290

-36.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$586 SEK 5,821

57.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$553 SEK 5,496

19.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,119 SEK 11.1K

169.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$972 SEK 9,650

48.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$4,339 SEK 43.1K

525.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$2,263 SEK 22.5K

57.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.06

33.33%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Halmstad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Halmstad

$553 34.4% 16% $106

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Halmstad

$317 19.7% 34.3% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Halmstad

$159 9.9% 41.1% $111

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Halmstad

$266 16.5% 44% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Halmstad

$153 9.5% 40.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Halmstad

$68 4.3% 19% $16

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Halmstad

$91 5.7% 58.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $586 in Halmstad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 58% higher in Seoul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $71 in Halmstad. Groceries tell a different story – $483 in Seoul vs $317 in Halmstad – so Halmstad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇸🇪 Halmstad

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

23:54 11:54 PM

8 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

55,688

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Halmstad 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Halmstad

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 Halmstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 15% more than Halmstad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,771 per month in Seoul and $2,412 in Halmstad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Halmstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $586 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Seoul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul and $71 in Halmstad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Halmstad – 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 Halmstad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.