Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Lautoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
Learn more

Lautoka Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Lautoka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $333 in Lautoka.

Seoul $1,794
Lautoka $333

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $722 in Lautoka.

Seoul $2,863
Lautoka $722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,112 in Lautoka.

Seoul $3,931
Lautoka $1,112

Living in Seoul is roughly 440% more expensive than in Lautoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Lautoka is 75% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$5.19 FJD 11.61

69.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.9K

$79.2 FJD 177

-13.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$7.80 FJD 17.47

-3.33%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,688

$2.56 FJD 5.72

65.23%

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

$1.63 ₩2,192

$2.12 FJD 4.74

-23.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩996

$1.51 FJD 3.38

-50.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,898

$2.43 FJD 5.44

49.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,268

$3.05 FJD 6.84

101.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,709

$1.66 FJD 3.72

21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,211

$0.73 FJD 1.64

328.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,809

$0.87 FJD 1.95

396.55%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,848

$3.44 FJD 7.70

4.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩24.0K

$5.80 FJD 12.98

207.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$7.62 FJD 17.06

37.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.7K

$7.58 FJD 16.98

240.37%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$4.42 FJD 9.90

73.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,550

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,811

$1.30 FJD 2.91

346.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,616

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,039

$0.93 FJD 2.09

303.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,414

$0.86 FJD 1.93

195.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,825

$0.87 FJD 1.96

226.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,489

$0.46 FJD 1.03

141.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,505

$10.93 FJD 24.46

-69.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.9K

$5.46 FJD 12.22

238.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,221

$2.57 FJD 5.74

-6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,531

$3.49 FJD 7.82

-3.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,538

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩62.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,696

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩849

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,028

$1.33 FJD 2.99

13.53%

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

$29.3K ₩39.4M

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

$28.2K ₩37.9M

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

$218 ₩292.5K

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

$35.15 ₩47.3K

$13.14 FJD 29.43

167.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.6K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩78.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.2K

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.7K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩96.1K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩111.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$450 FJD 1,007

100.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩822.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$872 FJD 1,952

189.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩16.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$688 FJD 1,541

430.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5% 59.9% $286

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Lautoka

$13 * 4% 95.2% $261

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Lautoka

$128 38.6% 30.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

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 $450 in Lautoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 430% 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 $79.0 in Lautoka. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $191, with Lautoka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

10:13 10:13 AM

3 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

50,000

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,507 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Lautoka 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Lautoka

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 Lautoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Lautoka differ by about 440% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $333 including rent). Lautoka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 430% 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 $450 in Lautoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lautoka – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $333 in Lautoka – a 440% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $333 in Lautoka versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka 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 Lautoka 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 Lautoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 440% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.