Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Helsingborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Helsingborg: $1,710 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
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Helsingborg Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Helsingborg

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $1,710 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Helsingborg $1,710

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $2,636 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Helsingborg $2,636

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $3,561 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Helsingborg $3,561

Seoul costs about 6% more than Helsingborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Helsingborg sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Helsingborg by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$13.35 SEK 132

-31.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$69.2 SEK 686

-3.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$12.75 SEK 126

-41.25%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$4.53 SEK 44.87

-7.51%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$2.88 SEK 28.49

-46.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$2.38 SEK 23.60

-66.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$6.81 SEK 67.5

-46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$6.20 SEK 61.4

-0.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.47 SEK 14.61

43.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$2.69 SEK 26.65

13.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$2.93 SEK 29.08

43.69%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$3.90 SEK 38.60

-9.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$11.24 SEK 111

60.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$11.27 SEK 112

-8.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$15.15 SEK 150

74.72%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$3.14 SEK 31.11

151.91%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$2.53 SEK 25.03

35.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$2.89 SEK 28.67

95.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$4.47 SEK 44.31

43.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.72 SEK 17.02

115.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.58 SEK 15.64

59.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$1.86 SEK 18.38

54.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$1.61 SEK 15.99

-27.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$8.18 SEK 81.0

-58.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$9.09 SEK 90.1

105.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$2.10 SEK 20.78

8.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$2.20 SEK 21.77

50.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$3.26 SEK 32.25

-65.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$62.2 SEK 616

-24.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$6.28 SEK 62.2

-43.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$1.72 SEK 17.00

-62.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$60.5 SEK 599

-85.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.80 SEK 17.80

-19.44%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$32.8K SEK 325.2K

-9.62%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$33.8K SEK 335.2K

-16.66%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$103 SEK 1,020

104.88%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$19.97 SEK 198

77.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$33.57 SEK 333

-38.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$38.54 SEK 382

49.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$22.23 SEK 220

-27.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$14.82 SEK 147

-23.28%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$176 SEK 1,746

1016.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$80.1 SEK 794

-28.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$33.62 SEK 333

-1.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$87.2 SEK 864

-19.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$107 SEK 1,060

-21.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$846 SEK 8,380

3.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$652 SEK 6,464

-4.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$1,399 SEK 13.9K

79.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

19.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,133 SEK 31.0K

869.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$2,265 SEK 22.4K

424.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$2,880 SEK 28.5K

24.96%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Helsingborg: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Helsingborg

$652 38.2% 4.5% $28

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Helsingborg

$337 19.7% 29.6% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Helsingborg

$156 9.2% 41.4% $110

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Helsingborg

$267 15.6% 44% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Helsingborg

$139 8.1% 25.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Helsingborg

$68 4% 15.3% $12

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Helsingborg

$90 5.3% 55.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $846 in Helsingborg. 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 25% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $69.0 in Helsingborg. Groceries tell a different story – $480 in Seoul vs $337 in Helsingborg – so Helsingborg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

7 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

93,838

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Helsingborg 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Helsingborg

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 Helsingborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,804 in Seoul, $1,710 in Helsingborg – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $2,565 in Helsingborg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Helsingborg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Helsingborg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,967 per month in Seoul and $176 in Helsingborg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Helsingborg, where all-in costs run around $1,710, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Helsingborg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Helsingborg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,710 in Helsingborg to $1,804 in Seoul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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