Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,848 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Seoul $1,848
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Seoul $2,986
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Seoul $4,125
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Seoul costs roughly 16% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$16.65 €14.91

-45.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.2K

$61.7 €55.3

10.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,812

$11.36 €10.17

-35.30%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,498

$2.97 €2.66

38.72%

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

$1.64 ₩2,195

$2.29 €2.05

-28.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,077

$1.74 €1.56

-53.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,952

$3.40 €3.05

9.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,188

$3.31 €2.96

85.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,726

$1.16 €1.04

75.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,286

$1.91 €1.71

68.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,858

$1.51 €1.35

190.73%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,795

$4.02 €3.60

-10.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.3K

$12.94 €11.59

40.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.0K

$7.77 €6.96

35.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.9K

$17.76 €15.91

51.41%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$2.30 €2.06

241.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,712

$1.73 €1.55

104.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,616

$1.86 €1.66

206.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,249

$2.59 €2.32

138.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,024

$1.82 €1.63

106.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,354

$1.97 €1.76

27.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,758

$1.47 €1.32

91.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,482

$0.72 €0.65

54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,406

$6.58 €5.90

-49.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.9K

$5.61 €5.02

232.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,229

$1.36 €1.22

77.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,483

$2.14 €1.91

57.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,591

$2.33 €2.09

-48.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.6K

$44.68 €40.01

3.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,742

$3.85 €3.45

-7.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩806

$1.07 €0.96

-43.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.1K

$16.46 €14.74

-44.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,920

$2.20 €1.97

-34.55%

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

$30.3K ₩40.4M

$34.2K €30.6K

-11.48%

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

$28.9K ₩38.6M

$38.7K €34.7K

-25.38%

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

$213 ₩283.7K

$161 €144

31.83%

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

$35.83 ₩47.8K

$18.41 €16.49

94.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.6K

$32.74 €29.32

-34.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.3K

$44.55 €39.90

38.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.9K

$19.10 €17.10

-14.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.2K

$9.60 €8.60

18.96%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$668 €598

191.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.4M

$17.6K €15.8K

29.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.8K

$102 €91.4

-41.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.7K

$44.46 €39.82

-23.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.1K

$98.5 €88.2

-33.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.3K

$124 €111

-33.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$1,608 €1,440

-42.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩880.0K

$1,190 €1,066

-44.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$2,812 €2,519

7.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$2,013 €1,803

-28.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.3M

$7,839 €7,021

246.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.1M

$4,576 €4,098

146.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$1,575 €1,411

126.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.85

5.97%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 80.5% $531

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 43.7% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 21.3% $57

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Lisbon

$243 11% 31.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 52.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 24.5% $21

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 10% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $924 in Seoul and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Seoul vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

05:27 5:27 AM

9 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Lisbon 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Seoul is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Seoul is about 2.3 times higher, 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: $924 in Seoul versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 44% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.