Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kholmsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Kholmsk: $1,025 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Kholmsk
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Kholmsk Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Kholmsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Kholmsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $1,025 in Kholmsk.

Seoul $1,822
Kholmsk $1,025

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,619 in Kholmsk.

Seoul $2,847
Kholmsk $1,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $2,213 in Kholmsk.

Seoul $3,872
Kholmsk $2,213

Living in Seoul is roughly 78% more expensive than in Kholmsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Kholmsk is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$11.22 ₽954

-18.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$36.19 ₽3,079

85.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$6.81 ₽580

8.96%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.44 ₽207

67.21%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$1.02 ₽86.8

56.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.59 ₽49.97

35.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.85 ₽157

97.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$2.99 ₽254

98.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.06 ₽90.3

93.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$0.79 ₽67.5

289.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$1.30 ₽110

223.85%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.46 ₽124

144.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$10.12 ₽861

77.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$5.25 ₽446

102.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$12.49 ₽1,063

111.69%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$1.84 ₽157

303.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.73 ₽147

104.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$1.89 ₽160

210.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$2.95 ₽251

115.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$0.75 ₽63.8

400.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$0.61 ₽52.2

308.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.27 ₽108

129.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.75 ₽64.1

53.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$2.57 ₽219

28.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$8.40 ₽715

120.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.02 ₽87.1

123.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$2.00 ₽170

64.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.51 ₽43.08

123.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$2.34 ₽199

48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.40 ₽34.14

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$5.64 ₽480

54.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$0.93 ₽78.8

61.29%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$36.0K ₽3.1M

-19.07%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$29.0K ₽2.5M

-2.87%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$103 ₽8,797

102.04%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$6.06 ₽515

479.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$8.30 ₽707

155.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$39.77 ₽3,384

44.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$21.81 ₽1,855

-27.14%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$5.04 ₽429

124.80%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$389 ₽33.1K

388.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$7,319 ₽622.8K

207.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$85.5 ₽7,272

-31.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$48.27 ₽4,107

-33.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$131 ₽11.1K

-46.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$102 ₽8,658

-18.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$404 ₽34.3K

119.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$305 ₽26.0K

104.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$943 ₽80.2K

164.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$564 ₽48.0K

125.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$2,094 ₽178.2K

1324.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$1,510 ₽128.5K

684.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

21.33

-80.87%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kholmsk: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Kholmsk

$305 30.1% 51% $318

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Kholmsk

$209 20.6% 56.4% $270

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Kholmsk

$118 11.6% 55.6% $147

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Kholmsk

$161 15.9% 12.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Kholmsk

$165 16.3% 50.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Kholmsk

$50 4.9% 37.7% $30

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Kholmsk

$6.4 * 0.6% 88.7% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $404 in Kholmsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $36.00 in Kholmsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $209 per month, with Kholmsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇷🇺 Kholmsk

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

21:06 9:06 PM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

27,954

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Kholmsk 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kholmsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kholmsk wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kholmsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,733 in Seoul and $1,538 in Kholmsk to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $404 in Kholmsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 129% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,822 per month in Seoul versus $1,025 in Kholmsk – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,025 in Kholmsk versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kholmsk but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Kholmsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Kholmsk are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kholmsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.