Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Jalalabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $501 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
Learn more

Jalalabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Jalalabad

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $501 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Jalalabad $501

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $684 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Jalalabad $684

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $868 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Jalalabad $868

Seoul costs about 258% more than Jalalabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Jalalabad is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.26 ؋146

289.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$7.56 ؋490

804.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$3.80 ؋246

98.42%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$0.75 ؋48.49

464.00%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$0.88 ؋56.9

128.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$0.37 ؋23.66

745.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.89 ؋122

128.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.69 ؋110

113.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$5.53 ؋359

222.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$2.70 ؋175

287.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$6.20 ؋402

316.13%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$0.61 ؋39.26

1155.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$0.65 ؋42.08

420.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$0.79 ؋51.1

635.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$0.48 ؋30.89

1235.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.39 ؋25.38

861.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.30 ؋19.38

746.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.32 ؋21.06

787.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.30 ؋19.42

270.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.90 ؋253

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ؋71.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.33 ؋151

43.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.13 ؋8.72

776.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$10.98 ؋712

319.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.75 ؋48.74

365.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.44 ؋28.35

43.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.56 ؋101

467.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.11 ؋71.9

36.04%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$8,453 ؋548.0K

246.26%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$23.42 ؋1,518

828.78%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$233 ؋15.1K

-90.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$7.62 ؋494

661.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$4.76 ؋308

238.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$1.56 ؋101

625.00%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$15.22 ؋987

12696.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$1,222 ؋79.2K

1770.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$18.51 ؋1,200

208.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$15.27 ؋990

118.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$23.21 ؋1,505

207.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$30.36 ؋1,968

171.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$114 ؋7,396

689.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$46.83 ؋3,036

1206.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$229 ؋14.9K

1001.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$123 ؋8,000

925.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$468 ؋30.4K

6180.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$232 ؋15.1K

5026.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$183 ؋11.9K

1894.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

13.88

-70.61%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Jalalabad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Jalalabad

$47 9.4% 92.3% $565

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Jalalabad

$95 18.9% 80.2% $382

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Jalalabad

$256 * 51.2% 6.4% $18

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Jalalabad

$38 * 7.7% 79.1% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Jalalabad

$39 7.9% 64.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Jalalabad

$11 2.2% 86.7% $70

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Jalalabad

$14 2.9% 74.8% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $114 in Jalalabad. 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 1894% 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $8.00 in Jalalabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $95.0 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

4 h 30 min behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

168,600

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 64.83 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.88 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Jalalabad 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Jalalabad

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 Jalalabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $501 in Jalalabad – roughly 258% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $751 in Jalalabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 404% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $8.00 in Jalalabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $501, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Jalalabad. 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.