Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Longford

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,848 a month against $2,434 in Longford, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Longford outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Longford
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Longford Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Longford

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Longford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $2,434 in Longford.

Seoul $1,848
Longford $2,434

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $3,500 in Longford.

Seoul $2,986
Longford $3,500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $4,567 in Longford.

Seoul $4,125
Longford $4,567

Living in Seoul costs roughly 24% less than in Longford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Longford 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$20.46 €18.33

-55.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.1K

$85.4 €76.5

-19.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,800

$13.16 €11.79

-44.15%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,491

$4.53 €4.06

-9.05%

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

$1.64 ₩2,192

$2.56 €2.29

-35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,075

$2.20 €1.97

-63.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,946

$5.33 €4.78

-30.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,179

$5.69 €5.09

7.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,723

$1.17 €1.05

74.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,281

$1.84 €1.65

74.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,851

$1.77 €1.58

148.02%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,789

$5.45 €4.88

-34.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.3K

$8.28 €7.42

120.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.0K

$12.87 €11.53

-18.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.9K

$14.26 €12.77

88.57%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$4.04 €3.62

94.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,706

$2.73 €2.45

29.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,607

$3.88 €3.48

46.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,239

$4.17 €3.74

48.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,018

$4.32 €3.87

-12.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,350

$2.74 €2.46

-8.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,754

$1.29 €1.16

118.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,480

$2.30 €2.06

-51.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,401

$19.23 €17.23

-82.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.9K

$16.69 €14.95

11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,225

$2.97 €2.66

-18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,478

$3.93 €3.52

-14.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,589

$2.63 €2.36

-54.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,737

$5.47 €4.91

-35.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩805

$1.50 €1.34

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.1K

$66.7 €59.7

-86.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,917

$1.89 €1.70

-23.81%

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

$30.3K ₩40.4M

$39.1K €35.1K

-22.67%

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

$28.9K ₩38.5M

$38.2K €34.2K

-24.28%

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

$213 ₩283.4K

$162 €145

31.11%

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

$35.83 ₩47.8K

$20.92 €18.74

71.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.5K

$38.39 €34.40

-44.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.2K

$59.4 €53.2

3.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.9K

$34.00 €30.47

-51.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.2K

$11.21 €10.05

1.87%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$840 €752

131.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.4M

$2,246 €2,012

914.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.7K

$44.01 €39.44

35.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.6K

$33.89 €30.37

0.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.0K

$62.7 €56.2

5.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.2K

$56.4 €50.5

45.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$1,211 €1,085

-23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩879.0K

$1,333 €1,195

-50.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$2,036 €1,825

47.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$1,962 €1,758

-26.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.2M

$2,690 €2,410

909.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.1M

$3,622 €3,246

211.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$1,430 €1,281

149.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.6

13.33%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Longford: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Longford

$1.3K 54.8% 102% $674

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Longford

$371 15.3% 23.2% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Longford

$221 9.1% 17.9% $48

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Longford

$315 12.9% 70.6% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Longford

$89 3.6% 18.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Longford

$82 3.4% 3.1% $2.7

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Longford

$23 * 1% 59.1% $34

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 $924 in Seoul and $1,211 in Longford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 2.5 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 $85 in Longford. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $371, with Longford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇮🇪 Longford

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

07:02 7:02 AM

9 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

10,952

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Longford 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Longford

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 Longford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Seoul is about 2.5 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 $1,211 in Longford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Longford pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,848 per month in Seoul versus $2,434 in Longford – Seoul is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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