Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Leverkusen

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $2,319 in Leverkusen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Leverkusen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Leverkusen
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Leverkusen Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Leverkusen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,319

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Leverkusen

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $2,319 in Leverkusen, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Leverkusen $2,319

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $3,397 in Leverkusen, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Leverkusen $3,397

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $4,474 in Leverkusen, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Leverkusen $4,474

Seoul is about 22% cheaper than Leverkusen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Leverkusen sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Leverkusen by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$15.57 €13.85

-41.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$69.8 €62.1

-4.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$12.47 €11.09

-39.94%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$3.97 €3.53

5.54%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$3.17 €2.82

-51.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$2.45 €2.18

-67.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$5.22 €4.64

-30.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$3.72 €3.31

65.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.46 €1.30

44.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.98 €1.76

54.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$3.91 €3.48

7.67%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$3.25 €2.89

8.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.64 €12.13

32.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$10.68 €9.50

-3.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$19.09 €16.98

38.66%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$3.42 €3.04

131.29%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.70 €1.51

102.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$2.34 €2.08

141.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$4.90 €4.35

30.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.92 €1.71

93.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.65 €1.47

52.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$1.68 €1.50

70.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$1.13 €1.01

2.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$9.12 €8.11

-63.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$5.99 €5.33

212.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.97 €0.87

135.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.85 €1.65

78.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$3.55 €3.16

-68.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$54.8 €48.71

-14.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$2.96 €2.64

18.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$1.98 €1.76

-67.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$31.22 €27.77

-71.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$2.10 €1.87

-30.95%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$33.6K €29.9K

-11.77%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$38.8K €34.6K

-27.41%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$336 €299

-37.23%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$25.21 €22.43

40.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$39.67 €35.28

-48.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$30.40 €27.04

89.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$15.49 €13.78

-26.60%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$561 €499

250.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$13.7K €12.2K

66.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$75.6 €67.3

-24.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$38.33 €34.09

-13.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$104 €92.3

-32.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$114 €101

-26.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$1,084 €965

-19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$1,035 €920

-39.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$2,159 €1,920

16.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$1,776 €1,580

-27.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,881 €3,452

682.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$3,654 €3,250

225.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$4,093 €3,641

-12.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.96

3.03%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Leverkusen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Leverkusen

$1K 44.6% 65.8% $410

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Leverkusen

$326 14% 32.1% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Leverkusen

$401 17.3% 50.2% $134

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Leverkusen

$266 11.5% 43.3% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Leverkusen

$149 6.4% 35.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Leverkusen

$61 2.7% 23.7% $19

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Leverkusen

$82 3.5% 41.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $1,084 in Leverkusen. 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 14% higher in Leverkusen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $70.0 in Leverkusen. Groceries tell a different story – $480 in Seoul vs $326 in Leverkusen – so Leverkusen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇩🇪 Leverkusen

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

04:24 4:24 AM

7 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

160,819

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Leverkusen 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Leverkusen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leverkusen costs about 29% more than Seoul, 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 $3,479 in Leverkusen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,804 in Seoul and $2,319 in Leverkusen. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,804, than in Leverkusen at $2,319. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leverkusen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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