Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kuta, Lombok

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuta, Lombok: $715 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Kuta, Lombok
Learn more

Kuta, Lombok Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Kuta, Lombok

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Kuta, Lombok

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $715 in Kuta, Lombok, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Kuta, Lombok $715

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,191 in Kuta, Lombok, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Kuta, Lombok $1,191

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,667 in Kuta, Lombok, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Kuta, Lombok $1,667

Seoul costs about 152% more than Kuta, Lombok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Kuta, Lombok is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

454.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$17.32 Rp 311.7K

284.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$2.87 Rp 51.6K

160.98%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$1.33 Rp 23.9K

215.04%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

93.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.39 Rp 6,940

102.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.29 Rp 23.3K

182.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.26 Rp 40.8K

171.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

100.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.52 Rp 27.4K

100.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

453.95%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

147.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$11.42 Rp 205.6K

57.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$2.63 Rp 47.3K

293.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$8.07 Rp 145.3K

228.00%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.38 Rp 42.8K

232.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

227.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.52 Rp 27.3K

271.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

385.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.23 Rp 22.2K

201.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.60 Rp 28.8K

57.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

348.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.36 Rp 6,400

222.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

123.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$15.12 Rp 272.1K

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$1.56 Rp 28.1K

46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.96 Rp 35.2K

68.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.14 Rp 2,576

707.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$5.17 Rp 93.0K

803.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$0.29 Rp 5,209

1113.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.28 Rp 5,031

128.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$3.95 Rp 71.1K

121.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$0.54 Rp 9,648

168.52%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$15.8K Rp 284.1M

87.96%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$20.9K Rp 376.4M

34.82%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$61.1 Rp 1.1M

245.39%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$4.95 Rp 89.2K

614.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$13.94 Rp 251.0K

47.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$29.68 Rp 534.3K

94.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$9.66 Rp 173.8K

67.70%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$2.35 Rp 42.3K

383.83%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$314 Rp 5.7M

525.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$3,692 Rp 66.5M

516.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$34.78 Rp 626.1K

65.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$27.09 Rp 487.7K

22.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$61.2 Rp 1.1M

14.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$60.5 Rp 1.1M

39.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$436 Rp 7.9M

101.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$265 Rp 4.8M

135.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$1,392 Rp 25.1M

80.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$684 Rp 12.3M

88.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$1,069 Rp 19.2M

2739.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$884 Rp 15.9M

1243.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

13.78

-70.39%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kuta, Lombok: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Kuta, Lombok

$265 37% 57.6% $359

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Kuta, Lombok

$193 26.9% 59.8% $287

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Kuta, Lombok

$80 11.2% 70% $187

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Kuta, Lombok

$53 7.5% 71.2% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Kuta, Lombok

$83 11.6% 25% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Kuta, Lombok

$34 4.8% 57.3% $46

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Kuta, Lombok

$7.4 1% 87.2% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $436 in Kuta, Lombok. 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $17.00 in Kuta, Lombok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $193 – making Kuta, Lombok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇮🇩 Kuta, Lombok

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Kuta, Lombok 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Kuta, Lombok

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 Kuta, Lombok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 152% more than Kuta, Lombok, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $1,073 in Kuta, Lombok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuta, Lombok, 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 $67.0 in Seoul and $17.00 in Kuta, Lombok. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,804 in Seoul and $715 in Kuta, Lombok. That's a gap of about 152%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kuta, Lombok, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Kuta, Lombok it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuta, Lombok – 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 Kuta, Lombok. 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.