Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kalimantan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalimantan: $639 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Kalimantan
Learn more

Kalimantan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Kalimantan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Kalimantan

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $639 in Kalimantan, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Kalimantan $639

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $984 in Kalimantan, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Kalimantan $984

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,328 in Kalimantan, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Kalimantan $1,328

Seoul costs about 181% more than Kalimantan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Kalimantan is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$1.65 Rp 29.7K

433.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$14.21 Rp 255.9K

381.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

102.14%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

183.89%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.46 Rp 8,364

254.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.23 Rp 4,226

221.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$2.36 Rp 42.4K

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

78.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

91.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.21 Rp 21.7K

158.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

491.78%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.33 Rp 23.9K

171.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$7.03 Rp 126.5K

153.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.02 Rp 54.4K

246.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.24 Rp 130.3K

256.35%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

279.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.10 Rp 19.8K

207.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

243.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.10 Rp 19.8K

482.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

167.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

31.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.75 Rp 13.4K

278.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.43 Rp 7,748

158.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.51 Rp 45.2K

33.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$24.07 Rp 433.3K

-23.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.66 Rp 47.9K

26.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.29 Rp 5,282

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.53 Rp 9,475

558.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.39 Rp 7,011

61.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$2.59 Rp 46.7K

242.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

101.33%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.9K Rp 394.1M

33.71%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$27.2K Rp 490.2M

3.58%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$68.9 Rp 1.2M

215.66%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

842.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$19.85 Rp 357.3K

7.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$18.32 Rp 329.7K

216.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$8.79 Rp 158.1K

83.16%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$3.11 Rp 56.0K

263.67%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$102 Rp 1.8M

1800.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$6,826 Rp 122.9M

234.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$47.05 Rp 847.0K

21.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$26.14 Rp 470.5K

27.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$83.9 Rp 1.5M

-14.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$61.5 Rp 1.1M

34.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$235 Rp 4.2M

283.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$160 Rp 2.9M

281.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$614 Rp 11.1M

311.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$333 Rp 6.0M

280.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$1,308 Rp 23.5M

2149.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$687 Rp 12.4M

1633.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

9.46

-56.87%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kalimantan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Kalimantan

$160 25.1% 73.8% $451

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Kalimantan

$196 30.7% 58.9% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Kalimantan

$92 14.5% 66.2% $181

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Kalimantan

$64 10% 65.3% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Kalimantan

$98 15.4% 10.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Kalimantan

$25 3.8% 69.6% $56

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Kalimantan

$3.7 * 0.6% 93.6% $54

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 $235 in Kalimantan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $14.00 in Kalimantan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $196 – making Kalimantan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇮🇩 Kalimantan

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Kalimantan 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Kalimantan

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 Kalimantan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 181%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $959 in Kalimantan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $14.00 in Kalimantan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 143% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kalimantan, where all-in costs run around $639, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Kalimantan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kalimantan – 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 Kalimantan. 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.