Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Lucena

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucena: $646 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Lucena
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Lucena Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Lucena

🇵🇭 Philippines

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Lucena

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $646 in Lucena, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Lucena $646

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,041 in Lucena, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Lucena $1,041

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,436 in Lucena, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Lucena $1,436

Seoul costs about 178% more than Lucena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Lucena is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$1.50 ₱94.4

486.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$18.91 ₱1,191

261.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$1.72 ₱108

338.37%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.32 ₱83.2

220.45%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.33 ₱20.88

393.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.29 ₱18.26

155.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.38 ₱86.7

163.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.28 ₱80.9

380.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.66 ₱105

21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.17 ₱73.4

167.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.92 ₱57.6

369.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.75 ₱110

106.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$6.82 ₱429

161.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.21 ₱265

148.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.13 ₱449

261.85%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$4.04 ₱254

89.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.37 ₱86.0

146.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.58 ₱225

62.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.17 ₱73.5

447.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.27 ₱143

65.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$3.30 ₱208

-23.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.42 ₱89.6

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.91 ₱57.0

21.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.74 ₱173

22.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$7.74 ₱487

138.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.34 ₱84.6

79.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.76 ₱111

91.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.24 ₱14.97

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$12.08 ₱761

281.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.81 ₱51.0

330.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.21 ₱13.19

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$2.54 ₱160

248.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.23 ₱77.6

22.76%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.3K ₱1.3M

37.41%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

50.36%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$47.89 ₱3,015

354.21%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$6.37 ₱401

451.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$11.06 ₱696

92.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$34.15 ₱2,150

70.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$4.02 ₱253

300.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$7.38 ₱465

53.25%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$71.9 ₱4,529

2607.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$2,515 ₱158.3K

809.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$35.78 ₱2,253

59.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$22.69 ₱1,428

47.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$79.7 ₱5,020

-10.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$74.4 ₱4,683

10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$262 ₱16.5K

244.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$170 ₱10.7K

260.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$516 ₱32.5K

389.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$357 ₱22.5K

254.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,274 ₱143.2K

1193.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$921 ₱58.0K

1192.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$320 ₱20.2K

1039.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

-41.71%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lucena: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Lucena

$170 26.3% 72.3% $442

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Lucena

$206 31.9% 56.8% $271

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Lucena

$65 10.1% 76.2% $209

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Lucena

$45 7% 75.5% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Lucena

$96 14.8% 13% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Lucena

$49 7.6% 39.4% $32

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Lucena

$15 2.3% 74% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $262 in Lucena. 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 1040% higher in Seoul, 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $19.00 in Lucena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $206 – making Lucena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Lucena

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

10:28 10:28 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

278,924

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Lucena 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Lucena

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 Lucena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $646 in Lucena – roughly 178% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $968 in Lucena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $71.9 in Lucena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 131% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lucena, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Lucena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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