Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Lapu-Lapu

For one person, living is cheaper in Lapu-Lapu: $845 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Lapu-Lapu
Learn more

Lapu-Lapu Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Lapu-Lapu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Lapu-Lapu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $845 in Lapu-Lapu.

Seoul $1,794
Lapu-Lapu $845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,195 in Lapu-Lapu.

Seoul $2,863
Lapu-Lapu $1,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,545 in Lapu-Lapu.

Seoul $3,931
Lapu-Lapu $1,545

Living in Seoul is roughly 112% more expensive than in Lapu-Lapu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Lapu-Lapu is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.95 ₱186

198.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$15.86 ₱998

331.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$3.90 ₱246

93.33%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.54 ₱160

66.54%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.58 ₱36.53

181.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.38 ₱23.93

94.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.29 ₱80.9

182.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.25 ₱142

173.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.76 ₱111

14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.42 ₱89.2

120.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.94 ₱59.5

359.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.04 ₱129

76.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$5.68 ₱358

213.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.45 ₱280

134.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.71 ₱486

234.63%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.36 ₱211

127.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.45 ₱91.5

133.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.37 ₱149

145.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.54 ₱97.1

316.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.39 ₱151

56.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.98 ₱125

28.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.19 ₱75.2

138.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.68 ₱42.80

63.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$1.62 ₱102

106.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$4.07 ₱256

354.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.05 ₱65.9

128.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.51 ₱95.2

123.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.25 ₱15.81

356.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.74 ₱46.77

371.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.23 ₱14.51

173.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$3.90 ₱246

127.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.33 ₱83.4

13.53%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

35.95%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

44.29%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$120 ₱7,559

81.16%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$13.99 ₱881

151.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$28.04 ₱1,765

-24.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$12.62 ₱795

360.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.60 ₱353

101.96%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$103 ₱6,509

1783.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$7,848 ₱494.1K

191.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$47.78 ₱3,008

19.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$25.45 ₱1,603

31.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$23.86 ₱1,502

199.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$58.5 ₱3,683

41.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$437 ₱27.5K

105.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$317 ₱19.9K

93.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,214 ₱76.4K

108.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$473 ₱29.8K

167.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$229 ₱14.4K

1495.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

7.2

-43.33%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lapu-Lapu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Lapu-Lapu

$317 37.5% 48.3% $295

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Lapu-Lapu

$189 22.4% 60.3% $287

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Lapu-Lapu

$162 19.2% 40.8% $112

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Lapu-Lapu

$81 9.5% 56.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Lapu-Lapu

$70 8.3% 36.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Lapu-Lapu

$24 2.8% 70.5% $57

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Lapu-Lapu

$2.9 * 0.3% 94.9% $54

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 $901 in Seoul and $437 in Lapu-Lapu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1495% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $16.00 in Lapu-Lapu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $189 per month, with Lapu-Lapu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Lapu-Lapu

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

10:28 10:28 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

497,604

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Lapu-Lapu 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Lapu-Lapu

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 Lapu-Lapu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Lapu-Lapu differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $845 including rent). Lapu-Lapu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1495% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $437 in Lapu-Lapu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $103 in Lapu-Lapu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lapu-Lapu – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $845 in Lapu-Lapu versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lapu-Lapu but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Lapu-Lapu 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 Lapu-Lapu 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 Lapu-Lapu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.