Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Karlskrona

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlskrona: $1,636 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seoul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
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Karlskrona Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,636

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Karlskrona

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,636 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Karlskrona $1,636

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $2,545 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Karlskrona $2,545

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $3,453 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Karlskrona $3,453

Seoul costs about 13% more than Karlskrona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Karlskrona sit above the global median – Seoul by 36%, Karlskrona by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$12.82 SEK 126

-29.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.2K

$66.2 SEK 649

3.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,812

$8.81 SEK 86.5

-16.57%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,498

$4.09 SEK 40.16

0.73%

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

$1.64 ₩2,195

$1.33 SEK 13.07

23.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,077

$2.25 SEK 22.07

-64.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,952

$6.93 SEK 68.0

-46.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,188

$5.00 SEK 49.11

22.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,726

$1.46 SEK 14.30

39.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,286

$2.67 SEK 26.21

20.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,858

$3.66 SEK 35.96

19.95%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,795

$4.41 SEK 43.23

-18.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.3K

$11.01 SEK 108

65.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.0K

$13.05 SEK 128

-19.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.9K

$17.37 SEK 171

54.81%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$3.07 SEK 30.10

156.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,712

$2.32 SEK 22.73

52.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,616

$3.03 SEK 29.78

88.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,249

$4.40 SEK 43.20

40.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,024

$1.49 SEK 14.67

152.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,354

$1.49 SEK 14.67

68.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,758

$2.18 SEK 21.37

29.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,482

$1.42 SEK 13.98

-21.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,406

$6.99 SEK 68.6

-52.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.9K

$12.80 SEK 126

45.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,229

$2.04 SEK 20.01

18.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,483

$1.63 SEK 16.00

106.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,591

$2.94 SEK 28.84

-59.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.6K

$70.8 SEK 694

-34.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,742

$13.17 SEK 129

-73.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩806

$2.06 SEK 20.26

-70.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.1K

$80.5 SEK 789

-88.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,920

$1.77 SEK 17.36

-18.64%

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

$30.3K ₩40.4M

$32.7K SEK 321.0K

-7.49%

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

$28.9K ₩38.6M

$33.2K SEK 326.1K

-13.06%

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

$213 ₩283.7K

$51.1 SEK 501

315.91%

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

$35.83 ₩47.8K

$28.03 SEK 275

27.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.6K

$36.39 SEK 357

-41.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.3K

$41.03 SEK 403

50.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.9K

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.2K

$16.13 SEK 158

-29.20%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$160 SEK 1,573

1115.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.8K

$97.6 SEK 958

-38.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.7K

$20.06 SEK 197

70.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.1K

$79.6 SEK 781

-17.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.3K

$179 SEK 1,757

-54.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$681 SEK 6,679

35.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩880.0K

$576 SEK 5,649

14.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,097 SEK 10.8K

174.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$937 SEK 9,196

53.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.3M

$2,929 SEK 28.7K

827.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.1M

$2,526 SEK 24.8K

347.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$2,463 SEK 24.2K

44.94%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karlskrona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Karlskrona

$576 35.2% 12.7% $84

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Karlskrona

$360 22% 25.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Karlskrona

$116 7.1% 57.2% $154

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Karlskrona

$237 14.5% 28.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Karlskrona

$169 10.4% 55.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Karlskrona

$73 4.5% 13.2% $11

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Karlskrona

$106 6.5% 84.5% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $681 in Karlskrona. 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 45% higher in Seoul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $66 in Karlskrona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $360 – making Karlskrona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

22:16 10:16 PM

8 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

35,212

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Karlskrona 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Karlskrona

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 Karlskrona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,771 per month in Seoul and $2,455 in Karlskrona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlskrona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $681 there versus $924 in Seoul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul and $66 in Karlskrona. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,636 in Karlskrona. That makes Karlskrona about 11% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,848 in Seoul and $1,636 in Karlskrona, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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